FILE PHOTO: Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney speaks during a news conference in Dublin, Ireland, April 12, 2018. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland does not rule out asking the European Union to relax or waive some rules of the single market in the event of a no-deal Brexit in order to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Wednesday.

Asked if Ireland would need any derogations to avoid a hard border, Coveney said: “That will be an ongoing conversation. We don’t have anything like a conclusion to that discussion yet.”

“If a no-deal Brexit becomes more likely outcome, of course we will have to have very detailed discussions with the commission” about how to maintain the integrity of the single market, he added.