Blair tells Dubai forum Brexit weakens Britain's position globally

DUBAI - British exit from the European Union (EU) weakens Britain's position economically and politically in the world, said Tony Blair at a forum held in Dubai on Sunday. 

Speaking at a panel discussion on day two of the 2018 Global Education and Skills Forum, Blair noted that Brexit "for sure diminishes Britain's standing." 

Blair said the impact of Brexit must also be seen in the light of geopolitical shift nowadays, which is going to the east. 

The impact of Brexit would also be a watershed from a global perspective as the EU is not the sole powerful bloc in the world, said Blair. 

"In Asia you have ASEAN, then you've got the African Union, in South America you have Mercosur. This is the way the world is," Blair added. 

Under Blair's government, the EU went through a deep political crisis at that time when in 2003, the UK under Blair joined the U.S. in the Iraq war, while the two major EU powers Germany and France opposed the invasion. 

Britain will leave the EU after a 46-year membership on March 29, 2019. 

The divorce is based on a referendum from June 23, 2016 when an absolute majority (51.6 percent) of the British people voted in favor of a prospective withdrawal from the EU.