it wouldn’t be august without it Events between Spanish and Gibraltar ships In the waters around the British colony, however, setbacks have been taking a rather negative turn in recent weeks. A few months after the elections in Gibraltar, when the Spanish Government was in office and Two-year negotiations for the Rocky Treaty stalledamong other issues related to the future of the military base.
Spain is preparing official complaints United Kingdom for every event Diplomatic sources informed El Periódico de España of the Prensa Ibérica group that the incident occurred this summer. They say this will be done through the usual diplomatic channels, which brings to mind one of the so-called “verbal protest notes” the ambassador sent to the country’s ministry.
The first of the events in the waters surrounding the rock took place on August 14. A patrol boat attached to the Customs Surveillance Service (SVA) detected the presence of a ship without lights and without automatic identification system (AIS). As it turned out later, it was an auxiliary ship from the port of Gibraltar. But they stopped him the boat escaped with a dodging maneuver According to the SVA, they “significantly compromised the physical integrity of the Spanish patrol and its authorities”. According to the customs declaration, the Spanish ship followed and stopped him in “Spanish waters”. Gibraltar claims these are its own. The mayor of Algeciras, José Ignacio Landaluce (PP), protested. Gibraltar Prime Minister Fabian Picardo said: these are their own waters and asked by the Spanish to “change his demeanor” if you want a common future”, he refers to talks about breaking the separation fence.
The second accident occurred on 21 August. Gibraltar authorities have accused a Spanish fisherman of illegal fishing in the waters (which they claim to be theirs) near the Rock. “dangerous boating” and hindering and harming endangered species. The fishing boat was stopped by boats belonging to the Royal Gibraltar Police, Customs and Llanitos Environment agents. Gibraltar officials assure that the fisherman has been causing the incidents since May, EFE Agency reported. The captain of the ‘Mi Daniela’ fishing boat, 33-year-old fisherman Jonathan Sánchez, argues that he was fishing in Spanish waters, approached and forced to hand over documents threatening arrest. The fisherman has now changed his fishing grounds and is awaiting summons by the Gibraltar courts. The Spanish Government did not decide.
The most recent and most current incident occurred last Thursday. According to the Gibraltar Chronicle, Gibraltar environmental officials have accused the crew of a Spanish pleasure boat of fishing free tuna off the coast of Gibraltar. The season ended with the Gibraltar decree last weekend. The Spanish ship summoned the Civil Guard. The matter did not go further Because with the arrival of the ship of virtue, the ship left the waters.
Upon El Periódico de España’s questions, neither the British embassy nor the Spanish Foreign Ministry wanted to comment on the matter.
The Spanish sources consulted interpret the events as follows: a “nationalist” message de Picardo faces elections scheduled between now and the end of the year.
The Government of Gibraltar emphasizes that: The waters surrounding the rock belong to them. They point out that the idea that they were not handed over to them in the Treaty of Utrecht and therefore not theirs comes from Francoism and is not valid because the laws of the sea date from the 20th century.
criticism from PP
The mayor of Algeciras, José Ignacio Landaluce, criticized the Foreign Minister last Friday: Jose Manuel Albaresnot pronounced yet About the “harassment” of the Gibraltar authorities against fishermen from La Línea and Algeciras. The Andalusian Junta also called for an end to the harassment, emphasizing that Spain has jurisdiction over the waters in which the incidents took place.
Conil, the Artisanal Fisheries Producers Organization, requests the Spanish and Rock Governments to engage in dialogue to define the limits of the waters in which national vessels can fish.
The UK and the European Union have been negotiating for two years on how to implement the agreement signed between London and Madrid. Integrating Gibraltar into the Schengen area The European Union is to create a shared zone of prosperity between Campo de Gibraltar in Cádiz and the Rock, and eventually demolish the Gate, the dividing line between the British colony and the rest of the Peninsula. Negotiations stalled at the end of last year, El Periódico de España reported. They are currently stopped and await the formation of a new government.
Dispute over military base
The uneasiness created by these conflicts in Algeciras and in the diplomatic and political circles in the region was added to the surprise visit of the British Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, James Heappey, to the Rock on 21 August. A package up to Heappey announced £50m (€58m) to “reinforce Gibraltar as a military base”.
Heappey visited the armories and underground tunnels of British military base facilities in Gibraltar. The Rock has a harbor for the British Royal Navy (Royal Navy), an airport for the Royal Air Force (Royal Air Force), and endless espionage and telecommunications systems. Forward Mounting Base a Base base for British defense The ministry said in a statement that it routinely supports ships, submarines and aircraft “to advance towards the south and east of the Mediterranean”.
According to this newspaper’s report, the British military base issue is one of the main obstacles to the Gibraltar Treaty negotiations. Spain wants to conclude a military cooperation agreement with its NATO partner, which includes the exchange of information about facilities and personnel passing through the Rock, for example, through the presence of liaison officers from the Air Force or Spanish Navy at these bases. However, both the British and Gibraltar sides deny this. London claims none of this is included in the 2020 New Year’s Eve Agreement, where Spain and the United Kingdom set a framework for the European Union to negotiate the final status of the EU’s relationship with Gibraltar. Madrid also believes Spanish authorities are required to control the entry of people and goods at the port and airportbut also soldiers and military supplies.
Diplomatic sources see another show of strength by the Ministry of Defense in recent events and the visit of a senior British official; According to this comment, Prioritizing the military base over the interests of Gibraltars and the people of Cádiz. Currently, the UK has announced that it will hold military exercises from 29 August to 5 September to “increase the visibility of the military presence” in Gibraltar.
Source: Informacion
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