MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st January, 2021) Spain and the United Kingdom have reached a deal in principle on the status of the Gibraltar overseas territory, Madrid's top diplomat Arancha Gonzalez Laya said Thursday.
The question of the UK's contentious overseas territory, attached to the Spanish mainland, was left out of the last minute Brexit deal reached between London and Brussels December 24.
According to the Foreign Minister, Spain will act as guarantor of the excalve in EU programs, chiefly the Schengen agreement.
"Schengen will be applied to Gibraltar, with Spain assuming responsibility as a member state. This will allow for the abolishment of controls between Spain and Gibraltar," Gonzalez Laya said.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed the deal in a post on Twitter.
Gonzalez Laya said that the draft of the deal will be forwarded to Brussels and deal is expected to be signed within six months.
The news comes a day after the UK parliament voted to ratify the Brexit deal with Brussels, as the transition period for the country's exit from the European Union ends on December 31, 2020.
