The Government of Gibraltar wishes to counter the untrue claims that there has been an agreement to allow the breaking of the Rock's marine protection laws by commercial fishermen. There is absolutely no truth to these claims.
Spain has been accused of an “outrageous” and “unlawful” violation of British sovereignty after boats entered UK waters in Gibraltar on Sunday. Helicopters were also flown over a beach on the British territory as Spanish police chased criminals on the water, a move branded extremely dangerous by the Government of Gibraltar.
Gibraltar Governor Sir James Dutton has publicly voiced strong support for the deployment of a larger British naval vessel to patrol Gibraltar’s territorial waters.
Sir James, a retired Royal Marine with a distinguished military record, said such a move would send “a really valuable message” in the face of persistent incursions by Spanish state vessels.
The Foreign Office has summoned the Spanish Ambassador to the UK to underline serious concern at the activity of a Spanish Navy vessel in international waters off Gibraltar on Wednesday.
Spanish government vessels have unlawfully entered British territorial waters around Gibraltar more than 600 times since the start of 2013, according to official figures. There were 496 incursions in 2013 and 112 in the first three months of 2014, the figures disclosed by Foreign Secretary William Hague revealed.
UK Foreign Secretary, William Hague, personally raised Britain’s concerns about persistent “illegal” Spanish incursions into British Gibraltar territorial waters, it was revealed. Mr. Hague spoke to Gonzalo de Benito, the Secretary of State at the Spanish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, on February 20 on the margins of an emergency meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
A drop in the number of incursions by Spanish state vessels into British Gibraltar territorial waters could signal “a slight change in attitude” in Madrid, a British Government minister said on Monday. The observation was made during a question and answer session in the House of Lords in which there was evident cross-party support for Gibraltar in the face of pressure from Spain, reports Gibraltar's Chronicle.
The Sunday Telegraph reported a record number of Spanish incursions into Gibraltar waters last year, but its calculations in fact fell short of the final total, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.
Spain has made a record number of illegal incursions into Gibraltar waters in the past year, new figures show. The Sunday Telegraph said the figures capped a 12 month period in which relations between the Rock and Madrid “reached their lowest ebb since the rule of General Francisco Franco.”
UK Minister for the Armed Forces said that a very, very long and continued presence in Gibraltar, with no defense cuts for the foreseeable future and full support of sovereignty were the key ingredients in the UK message he brought to the Rock. Before meeting Gibraltar authorities the minister took a tour of British Gibraltar waters with the Royal Navy.