Super-yacht “A” recently paid a visit to Gibraltar joining a list of many famous yachts to call at the Rock. She is owned by Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko, a 40 year old Russian businessman and billionaire who was born in Belarus.
The UK reaffirmed sovereignty over Gibraltar and Gibraltar territorial waters following an incident with the Spanish Guardia Civil which detained two Gibraltar British Nationals in British jurisdiction and transferred them to Spain.
The Gibraltar government has told the UK that 'the time has now come for action, not simply written protests from London to Madrid' in defence of British Gibraltar Territorial Waters, following the latest incident where a Gibraltar vessel was boarded by the Guardia Civil in Gibraltar waters 'and forcibly conveyed' together with its occupants to Algeciras 'at high speed and without navigational lights.'
Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has declared that UK-Spain bilateralism is “dead and will never ever be revived under any circumstances” regarding the Rock’s future.
A survey by the leading Spanish think tank Real Instituto Elcano has found that nearly 60% of those polled believe Gibraltar is of little or no importance to Spanish foreign policy.
Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has declared that he will never hand over “a grain of sand, a drop of water or a breath of air to Spain”. In an interview with the Spanish national press agency EFE, in Gibraltar House in London, Picardo regretted the “difficult relations with Spain” but reiterated that he would never cede “an iota of sovereignty to Spain.”
Gibraltar and Spain are edging closer to a fishing activities agreement and a further round of technical talks between the Gibraltar Government’s fishing commission and Spanish fishermen has been agreed for next week.
Spain made a calm but classic contribution before the United Nations Decolonization Committee (C24) last week defending territorial integrity arguments but also warning the Committee not to de-list Gibraltar without sticking to the current UN criteria.
Spain is scared to test its “feeble claims” in Court, whether in respect of Gibraltar’s undisputable right to self determination or its undisputable waters. That was the charge made by Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo on Friday before the United Nations Committee of 24 as he challenged Madrid to take these issues to the appropriate international courts.
Britain’s Armed Forces Minister, Nick Harvey, said the Royal Navy would “deter and challenge” any incursion by Spanish state vessels into British waters around the Rock. Minister Harvey was responding to questions from Labour MPs in the House of Commons about recent incursions by Spanish Guardia Civil vessels.