Lajack said Friday after talks with EU counterparts in Luxembourg that "the overwhelming feeling among the member states is that we cannot afford to wait until the Conservative Party will find a new leader." Turkey's minister for EU affairs, Omer Celik, says Ankara respects the British people's vote to withdraw from the European Union, but is warning that it was a bad decision for Europe. Noting that European values were humanity's shared values, Celik added that there had been serious problems with the implementation of European ideas in recent years and called for an update to existing mechanisms. Celik also condemned the negative portrayal of Turkey in the lead-up to the referendum, saying UK Prime Minister David Cameron had failed to resist the extreme right's attacks against Turkey. Grybauskaite says that "in the short term" the EU "will feel the consequences of this decision," adding "it is our duty to restore people's trust in the EU." Separately Friday, her Estonian counterpart Toomas Hendrik Ilves expressed hope that Britain's decision to leave the bloc will strengthen cooperation between the remaining 27 EU member states. The former Polish prime minister estimated the process will take about two years, after which Britain will be under its own laws and can seek to tighten immigration regulations. Britain's Treasury Chief George Osborne has briefed Group of Seven finance ministers and central bank governors after Britain voted to leave the European Union. The comments come after a dramatic day in which Bank of England Gov. Mark Carney also promised that the institution would take any necessary steps to maintain fiscal and monetary stability. Serbia's prime minister says the Balkan country will continue on its pro-EU path despite the British vote to leave the European Union. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Friday that by opting to leave the European Union, British voters had expressed their disapproval of the negative campaign conducted against Turkey in the lead-up to the referendum. Poland's prime minister says she will propose reforms at the European Union summit next week that are necessary to make the bloc stronger. Beata Szydlo, whose government has been put under the EU's rarely used "rule of law" scrutiny procedure, said Poland will remain a "responsible member" of the EU concerned about the unity and growth of a bloc that is shrinking to 27 members. Croatia's foreign minister says the British vote to leave the European Union presents a blow for the bloc and will likely affect its enlargement plans. Greece's prime minister says the British referendum dealt a severe blow to European unification, and should force a shift toward more "democratic" practices within the European Union. "The British referendum will either serve as a wake-up call for the sleepwalker heading toward the void, or it will be the beginning of a very dangerous and slippery course for our peoples," Tsipras added in an address televised live. A senior commander of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard has described Britain's vote to leave the European Union as payback for "years of colonialism and crimes against humanity." In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Khan praised London's "nearly one million European citizens" as hard-working, tax-paying residents contributing to civic and cultural life. The leader of Poland's ruling party says that Britain's decision to leave the European Union makes it evident that the bloc needs a new treaty that would regulate its operations better. Jaroslaw Kaczynski said a constructive reaction in the form of new, more precise regulations is needed to the crisis that was exposed by the British vote. The leader of an Italian anti-immigrant party is calling the European Union "a cage of crazies" that is killing jobs and citizen dignity. Spain's acting Foreign Minister says his country should make the most of Britain's decision to leave the European Union to press its claim for sovereignty of the disputed colony of Gibraltar. Margallo, whose conservative Popular Party runs Spain's caretaker government ahead of repeat elections Sunday, said the Brexit vote, while regrettable, completely changes the panorama regarding Gibraltar. Polish President Andrzej Duda says Britain's decision to exit the European Union is "sad news" that should spur the bloc to counteract any other nations wishing to leave. Minister Paolo Gentiloni says Italy, an EU founding member, will push so that after this "grave decision" Brussels won't react with "ordinary administration" of affairs. Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg says British voters' decision to leave the EU will be "a boost for extreme forces that want less cooperation in Europe." The European Union's Dutch presidency says Europe must pay more attention to people's concerns about jobs, security and migration in the wake of the British vote to leave the EU. Austria's chancellor says Britain's decision to leave the EU shows the necessity for reforms, particularly in boosting European economies, stemming unemployment and improving working conditions. Christian Kern says the EU needs "a reform process with a clear direction" that will be supported by citizens of member countries. The statement was signed by European Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Parliament President Martin Schulz and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency. The four — EU Council President Donald Tusk, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Parliament President Martin Schulz and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte — said that "any delay would unnecessarily prolong uncertainty." French far-right leader Marine Le Pen says pro-independence movements in the European Parliament will meet soon to plan their next move after the British vote to leave the European Union. With a broad smile on her face, Le Pen said her National Front was the only political party in France to take the possibility of a British exit seriously, and she reiterated her call for a similar referendum in France, calling it "a democratic necessity." Fico is a vocal critic of the EU's approach to the migrant crisis, in particular to the plan to redistribute the refugees in member states. Poland's foreign minister says that if the model of a political form of the European Union keeps being pushed, the common European project may end in "catastrophe." The leader of the ALDE liberals in the European Parliament says it is necessary for Britain to officially declare its intention to leave the European Union and not wait until October when Prime Minister David Cameron has said he will step down. NATO's chief says the British vote to leave the European Union shouldn't affect its status as a reliable and key member of the U.S.-led military alliance. A strong, united and determined NATO remains an essential pillar of stability in a turbulent world, and a key contributor to international peace and security. The chief monetary authority for the 19 countries that use the euro currency says that it "stands ready" to provide additional credit to financial institutions if they need it to do business. The bank already provides short-term cheap credit to banks in any amount at regular intervals, and has pumped more cash into the system through a bond purchase program aimed at raising inflation. The British vote shook up financial markets around the globe on Monday, leading to sharp falls in stocks and the British pound. Switzerland's central bank says it has intervened in currency markets after the Swiss franc came "under upward pressure" following Britain's vote to leave the European Union. The Swiss National Bank says in a brief statement Friday that it intervened in the foreign exchange market to "stabilize the situation" and will "remain active in that market." The British referendum vote to leave the European bloc has caused turmoil in financial markets, driving many stock markets lower and currency exchanges reeling. Spain's acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says his country has received Britain's decision to leave the European Union with sadness, adding that "it ought to make all member nations rethink." Rajoy said he wished to transmit a message of "serenity and tranquility" to Spaniards and to businesses, markets and institutions, saying that now was not the moment to promote uncertainty despite the upset decision. Rajoy also said he wanted to send a message of calm to Spanish citizens in Britain and Britons in Spain, stressing that during the estimated period of two years it will take Britain to fully leave the bloc, their rights would remain unchanged. Chancellor Angela Merkel was due to meet the leaders of the parties in the German Parliament and then make a statement on the referendum outcome at 12.30 p.m. (1030 GMT). Johnson is one of the primary candidates to become prime minister after being the most prominent figure in the campaign to have the U.K. leave the single market Scandinavian euroskeptic parties are rushing to suggest membership votes after British voters decided to leave the European Union. [...] Flint says that "as one of the largest, most stable, liquid and prudent financial institutions in the world, HSBC is well-placed to support our customers and the markets as they deal with the challenges that will arise." European Parliament President Martin Schulz says the EU assembly will hold an emergency session next week following the U.K.'s decision to leave the bloc. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is calling for a balanced disentanglement between the EU and Britain and said he did not see much interest in having a Dutch national referendum on EU membership as advocated by populist right-wing politician Geert Wilders. Bank of England Gov. Mark Carney says the institution is prepared to deal with the market volatility that is under way following the Britain's decision to leave the European Union. Germany's foreign minister says Britain's decision to leave the European Union is "truly sobering" news. Prime Minister David Cameron says he will resign by the fall and insists the British people's will must be respected after voters chose to leave the 28-nation European Union.
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