MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2018) Negotiations between Madrid and London on Gibraltar in connection with Brexit may conclude with the agreement in October, Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said Monday.
"I am a moderate optimist. The chairman of the government [of Spain, Pedro Sanchez] ... does not want Gibraltar to be the last stumbling block on the road to an agreement [between the European Union and London], but the first step to an agreement. [I hope] it would be possible to complete the negotiations after the congress of the UK Conservative Party," Borrell told a press conference in Madrid.
The congress of UK Conservative Party will be held from September 30 to October 3.
The last round of talks on Gibraltar between Spain and the United Kingdom took place last week, and the parties managed to achieve progress, the minister said.
On Monday, EU Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez held talks in Madrid ahead of an informal EU summit. EU leaders will meet on Wednesday and Thursday in the Austrian city of Salzburg, and Brexit will be one of the main themes of their talks.
The topic of Gibraltar will be part of a separate protocol to the general agreement on Brexit, the Spanish authorities said. As explained in the government's message, "all aspects of Brexit related to Gibraltar are the subject of direct negotiations between the governments of Spain and the United Kingdom, and therefore will be part of a special protocol under the exit agreement, since they do not concern all members."
Barnier and Sanchez believe that Brexit's earlier deadlines must be respected and negotiations must be completed before EU summit in October.
The territorial dispute over Gibraltar between Spain and Britain continues for more than 300 years. Gibraltar is the United Kingdom's overseas territory located at the tip of the Iberian peninsula, that has a land border with Spain. Madrid, which considers Gibraltar its territory, suggested to establish a "joint sovereignty" over Gibraltar, and believes that Spanish sovereignty over this territory should be restored over time. In 1967 and 2002, local residents rejected the idea of joining Spain in referendums.
According to Brexit guidelines, once the United Kingdom leaves the union, no EU-UK agreement "may apply to the territory of Gibraltar without agreement between the Kingdom of Spain and the United Kingdom." Bilateral talks between London and Madrid regarding Gibraltar have been underway since the beginning of the year.
Spain has repeatedly expressed its determination to use talks with London to the benefit of its nationals living on the border with Gibraltar or working there. The border issue and format of economic ties with the territory have special prevalence due to high unemployment in Spain's adjacent areas, which makes workplaces in Gibraltar and economic ties with the strip of land almost only way for local residents to earn money.
