BRUSSELS, March 21 (Xinhua) -- European Council President Donald Tusk on Tuesday announced that he will convene a summit on April 29 to approve the European Union(EU)'s guidelines on Brexit.
"I will call European Council on April 29 to adopt EU27 Brexit Guidelines. Priority must be certainty, clarity for all: citizens, companies and member states," Tusk tweeted.
His tweet came in tandem with a press conference which he attended along with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
"As you all know, I personally wish the UK hadn't chosen to leave the EU, but the majority of British voters decided otherwise. Therefore, we must do everything we can to make the process of divorce the least painful for the EU," Tusk told reporters.
"Our main priority for the negotiations must be to create as much certainty and clarity as possible for all citizens, companies and member states that will be negatively affected by Brexit, as well as our important partners and friends around the world," he added.
Brussels is the third stop of Abe's four-day visit to Europe.
The support rate for Abe's cabinet has tumbled recently over a school land deal scandal, according to various media surveys.
Tusk on Monday tweeted that the EU will unveil its guidelines on Brexit in 48 hours once Britain fires the starting gun to leave the bloc.
His tweet came on the heels of the British government's announcement that Prime Minister Theresa May is going to trigger the Article 50 on March 29, formally starting the country's exit from the EU.
May is expected to make a full statement to MPs in the House of Commons immediately after the triggering of the Article 50.
The launch of the Article 50 means the starting of a two-year Brexit talks between London and Brussels on a deal to determine Britain's future relationship with the remaining 27 member states of the EU.
That also means the final departure will be no later than March 2019.
The announcement Monday meets May's longstanding commitment to trigger Article 50 by the end of March 2017.
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