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

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Brexit talks must intensify over the summer, particularly on the issue of the Irish border, or Britain risks being unable to withdraw smoothly from the European Union, Ireland’s foreign minister said on Thursday.

“We had asked for and looked for significant progress in June. The British government have been unable to deliver on that, that is frustrating for everybody but if anything the negotiations need to intensify, particularly on the Irish backstop element of the withdrawal agreement,” Simon Coveney told national broadcaster RTE.

“But let’s be very clear, there will be no withdrawal agreement, no transition agreement and no managed Brexit if the British government do not follow through on their clear commitments in writing to Ireland and the whole EU as a whole.”