Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that a Brexit deal reached on December 8 “achieved all that we had set out to achieve”, and that the end of phase 1 was just the end of the beginning.The taoiseach was speaking in the wake, of a press conference held by European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and UK prime minister Theresa May in Brussels, where it was announced that “sufficient progress” had been made on the first phase of Brexit talks.After a week of negotiations and agreements focusing on the issue of the Irish-UK border, May stated at the conference that there would be “no hard border” between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, either on land or in the Irish Sea.Under the deal, all those born in Northern Ireland would retain their right to European Union citizenship.“I am satisfied that sufficient progress has now been made on Irish issues, the parameters have now been set and they are good,” Varadkar said, attempting to elate fears of a united Ireland which were raised by the DUP earlier in the week. “The Irish government has no hidden agenda”, he said. “There is no question of us trying to exploit Brexit as a means of moving to a united Ireland without consent”.The taoiseach also responded to a question about Anglo-Irish relations in the era of Brexit, especially following a difficult week of negotiations. “To our neighbours in Britain, I thank you for your careful consideration of our concerns, your good will and your good faith” he said. “We have always shared common interest in peace, free movement and prosperity for anyone on these islands”. Credit: Irish Government via Storyful