Former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing speaks during The Future of European Integration conference | Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Giscard d’Estaing to UK: ‘Don’t leave us now’

Former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing sent a clear message to the United Kingdom: "We love you. Don't leave us now."

The veteran French politician, 90, said although Britain has a "semi-detached" relationship with Europe, it is worth fighting to keep the U.K. within the Union.

"I strongly hope they stay," he said in an interview with Reuters.

Giscard d'Estaing took office a year after Britain joined the European Economic Community in 1973. During his time at the Élysée Palace he spearheaded the drafting of a European constitution, which was voted down in referendums in France and the Netherlands.

Europe was perfectly capable of accommodating a member country that wanted to be in the single market but not join the euro or be drawn into a closer political union, he said, adding that "from the outset, Britain positioned itself somewhat at a tangent to the European system."

"The current efforts by David Cameron's government run along the same lines."

A Brexit would harm the U.K.'s economy, he said. "London's prosperity is very much built on its financial activity, and breaking or weakening that link would certainly have a negative effect on the prosperity of London."

"The British will wonder 'what are we going to do now?' and Europeans will say 'It's too bad the British left.'"

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