German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere uses his mobile phone as he attends a cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany, May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s security ties with the United States are “excellent” and common interests with Britain mean its departure from the European Union should have as little impact as possible on security cooperation, Germany’s interior minister said.

“I can only say trans-Atlantic cooperation is, especially in the security domain, of paramount significance for our country,” Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said in a speech on Monday.

“I am confident that the issue of security cooperation will not be among the most difficult issues in the Brexit negotiations,” he said. “A lot unites us here.”

On Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel shocked many in Washington and London by saying that Europe must take its fate into its own hands, implying that the United States under President Donald Trump and Britain after its Brexit vote were no longer reliable partners.