The summer once again sparked diplomatic tensions with Gibraltar, which resurfaced cyclically, mainly over the use of waters adjacent to the Rock, which it claims as its own but which Spain does not recognize and justify its sovereignty over. Escalation escalated, with incidents of harassment of Spanish fishing boats by the security forces of the British colony, even made the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, convey his “strong protest” to Britain. . ” For what the Government deems “unjustifiable” the presence of British vessels in Spanish waters around Gibraltar and the three “serious incidents” that have occurred since July.
Brexit isn’t over yet: Gibraltar, labeling and other issues still to be resolved
Further
The Foreign Office has sent an oral note this week to the British Embassy in Madrid, according to earlier information Country and diplomatic sources confirmed to Europa Press, to convey the Spanish Government’s protest over the events that occurred in Spanish sovereign waters. In particular, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has named three specific incidents. The first, which occurred on July 1, was related to a fuel spill made by an LNG carrier while refueling from another vessel via the so-called. bunker.
The second occurred on 14 August, when a ship from the Customs Surveillance Service (SVA) saw its work obstructed by three British ships while pursuing the auxiliary ship Gibraltar that had been intercepted in Spanish waters. And the third and final occurred on August 21, when a Spanish fishing boat was also harassed in waters near Gibraltar under Spanish sovereignty. Precisely because of this incident, the Mayor of Gibraltar and PP senator, José Ignacio Landaluce, as well as the Andalusian Government asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take action on this problem. After this step was taken, there was reproach that the official protest arrived too late.
Treaty of Utrecht of 1713
In protest, the central Executive once again ratified Spain’s position regarding the waters adjacent to the Rock, reaffirming that they were Spanish because they recognized only what was stipulated by the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht whereby Spain ceded Gibraltar to England. , and made it clear that they would not tolerate a fait accompli policy on this issue.
This vision is at odds with the one held by Gibraltar and which has been reiterated by its chief minister, Fabian Picardo: the waters around the Rock “belong only to England”, and he considers any other point of view “wrong from his point of view.” view.”legitimate”. In this way he attacked the mayor of Algeciras, whom he denounced because “if he truly believes that the waters around Gibraltar do not belong to the United Kingdom, then he is either incapable of understanding the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea or, He simply refuses to respect it.”
Therefore, he reminded him of “Inocencio Arias’ statement of 2013”, according to which the Batu Government said its territory had been ceded by Spain through the Treaty of Utrecht and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Mar stipulates that “no territory should have a “dry coast”, meaning that sovereignty cannot end at the coastline and must extend to the surrounding waters.”
The Royal Police and even the Navy
In this context, councilor Algeciras denied (as Gibraltar claims) that Spanish ships were “attacking” their own ships, and for Landaluce “it was Gibraltar that attacked, sometimes with the Royal Police, sometimes with its own Navy.” . “The reality is they attacked Customs Control vessels when they were fighting illegal activities and they attacked Spanish fishermen who were just looking for food,” he added this week.
The Spanish fishermen regret that this problem continues to recur and demand a definite solution. In this regard, the manager of the Organization of Community Fisheries Producers of Conil/La Atunara (OPP72), Nicolás Fernández, has expressed his opinion, for example, for whom the conflict between Gibraltar and Cadiz boats fishing in the waters of the Strait is a problem that “should have been resolved years ago.” The sector has asked the Spanish and Rock governments to sit down and set limits on the waters in which national vessels can fish, in light of the recurring incidents that occur in the region.
“We will not stop fighting, we will continue to show that these are violations committed by the Gibraltar authorities,” Fernández said, warning that “they will either sit down and take action on this issue, or they will have to take action. security forces and soldiers so that the fishermen can catch fish.”
The story of a fisherman
Jonathan Sánchez, fisherman from the boat, is tasked with voicing what’s happening in these waters My Daniela, who has recently demanded support from the Spanish Government in dealing with the “daily abuse” he believes he suffers from the Gibraltar authorities whenever he goes fishing in the waters of the Straits, hopes the situation will be resolved “swiftly.” In his statement to Europa Press, Sánchez has assured that the waters around the Rock are “Spanish” waters and that from Gibraltar “they want to take more than three miles” of those waters to do whatever there is “as they see fit”.
The fisherman from La Línea de la Concepción described the “harassment” he experienced over the past few days by the Gibraltar authorities, who even boarded his boat “on the pretext” that he had an open complaint about allegedly ramming a fishing boat. recreational fishing in Gibraltar, something Sánchez firmly denies. “They approached me and forced me to identify myself. I refused, but another Customs ship arrived and they insisted that if I didn’t provide the documentation, they would arrest me and take the ship from me. I agreed to give it to him and as a result they filed a complaint against me for nine crimes. “Now the letter will arrive at my house so I can appear at the Gibraltar Court,” he said.
Regarding this, he has requested that the Government “send someone” to defend him if he ends up having to go to Batu to testify. “I didn’t commit any crime and they accuse me of that,” he complained. Sánchez stated that this situation has been going on “for years” and that “before” “many fishermen” worked in conflict zones, more than 100 families now choose to go to other waters or dedicate themselves to shellfish to “not bear the pressure” or “suffered harassment” experienced by this fisherman.
And the background is the Brexit agreement
Despite this row, Gibraltar believes that these events will not affect the ongoing negotiations between the UK and the EU regarding the agreement that will govern relations with the enclave after Brexit, and called for “unnecessary incidents to be avoided” around them. waters, as it poses a risk to the crew of the vessels involved.” The Gibraltar government confirmed that it maintained its commitment to “achieving a satisfactory outcome for all parties” in the ongoing negotiations on the agreement that will govern relations between the Rock and the EU after the UK leaves the bloc. “The recent series of incidents should have no impact on the positive negotiations awaiting the outcome of the coronation of the new government in Spain,” he stressed.
Early elections in Spain caused a momentary paralysis in negotiations between London and Brussels, which have been going on for more than two years. The Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, has defended himself in recent months that the decision rests with London after proposals were sent from Spain and the EU that he considered the best option for establishing the zone of common prosperity they longed for in Madrid. and London.
Meanwhile, diplomatic tensions resulting from the incident at sea quickly moved to La Verja, and the fact is that the Government of Gibraltar has filed a lawsuit against the new passport control regime which they believe has come into force in Spain, and is threatening retaliation. According to him, “a large number of passports are being scanned, including the passports of red card holders of Gibraltar residents and even some Spanish citizens”, which for several days “has caused long queues and inconvenience for thousands of people.” Therefore, he threatened to act “reciprocally and gradually” if this situation continues.
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