Theresa May
London and Madrid argued over the future of the British enclave of Gibraltar. About it reports Reuters.
“The sovereignty of Britain over Gibraltar remains unchanged and will not change without the explicit intentions of the people of Gibraltar and the United Kingdom — said the foreign Minister of Britain, Boris Johnson at a meeting with European counterparts in Luxembourg. Therefore, changes should not wait”.
Earlier, Prime Minister Theresa may has announced that it will not conduct any negotiations about the possible return of Gibraltar to another state as long as it does not want the people themselves, but the defense Minister of Britain Michael Fallon has promised that the country will defend the enclave by all means possible. The former Conservative party leader Michael Howard reminded the Spaniards of the Falkland conflict, when “the other woman Prime Minister sent an assault force across the world to defend the freedom of a handful of Brits that tried to kill another Spanish-speaking country.”
The reason for sharp statements was the suggestion, made on Friday, March 31: EU proposed to give Spain the right of veto on the question of trade relations between Gibraltar and the EU. Madrid responded by saying that while the veto of the question, but appreciated this step Brussels.
In turn, chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, has demanded “not to make the enclave a bargaining chip in the political games that accompany the negotiations on Brexit”.
Gibraltar — British overseas territory in the South of the Iberian Peninsula, seized from Spain in 1713. In a strategic position on the Strait of Gibraltar, connecting the Mediterranean sea with the Atlantic ocean. Naval NATO base. The enclave does not extend the common agricultural policy of the EU, the Schengen agreement and customs agreement. For Gibraltar import from Spain is essential. The referendum on Brexit 96 per cent of Gibraltarians voted to remain in the EU.