BERLIN (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Wednesday he was very pleased British and European Union negotiators had reached a draft agreement on the terms of Britain’s departure from the bloc.

“That is a great relief,” Maas said in a statement.

“Britain’s exit from the EU is, and remains, a decision that we regret. Nevertheless, we want to continue to have as close as a relationship as possible with our British friends. We have now come a decisive step further.”