German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany, September 5, 2018. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CSU Bavarian allies said on Wednesday that they wanted to have a close relationship with Britain after its departure from the European Union.

“The United Kingdom remains a close economic partner and ally. We decisively reject a hard Brexit,” the Christian Social Union (CSU) said in a draft communique seen by Reuters that the CSU is due to agree upon on Thursday.

The CSU, Bavarian sister party to Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), is holding a two-day meeting near Berlin.