European politicians have some strong thoughts about Boris Johnson
Foreign diplomats and politicians seem to be going through different "stages of grief" in dealing with the appointment of Boris Johnson as U.K. foreign minister -- laughter, incredulity and now rage.
French Foreign Minister Marc Ayrault certainly spoke his mind in expressing his feelings about Johnson, who campaigned for Britain to leave the European Union.
"I am not at all worried about Boris Johnson, but... during the campaign he lied a lot to the British people and now it is he who has his back against the wall," said Ayrault on Europe 1 radio.
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"(He has) his back against the wall to defend his country but also with his back against the wall the relationship with Europe should be clear," Ayrault continued.
"I need a partner with whom I can negotiate and who is clear, credible and reliable," he added.
"We cannot let this ambiguous, blurred situation drag on... in the interests of the British themselves."
In Germany, another founding member of the EU, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was not amused by Johnson's appointment:
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In a speech at Greifswald University, Steinmeier said that people are experiencing a rude awakening after "irresponsible politicians lured the country into the Brexit" only to fly the coop and not take responsibility once the decision was made.
"Instead they went to play cricket. To be honest, I find this outrageous but it's not just bitter for Great Britain. It's also bitter for the European Union."
During the campaign to leave the EU, Johnson compared the EU's aims to Hitler's, saying both the Nazi leader and Napoleon had failed to unify the continent.
Johnson stood by his comments that the EU was "an attempt to do this by different methods" despite a storm of critiques.
After the appointment was made, Frans Timmermans, the first vice-president of the European Commission, wrote a long Facebook post criticising the Leave campaign. Without naming him, he referred to Johnson, asking, "Why did you find it necessary to bring the Nazis into this campaign?"
"I have no problem whatsoever if people argue that the EU is something that goes against their interests and they do not want to be part of it. But to accuse people who believe in it of trying to finish where Hitler left off is, to say the least, a bit rich."
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