The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, held a telephone conversation last Thursday with the new British Foreign Office Secretary, Elisabeth Truss.
According to their respective Twitter accounts, the conversation covered the Gibraltar issue. Truss said they had discussed “commitment to the political framework for the Gibraltar Treaty”, while Albares wrote: “Working for the interests of our citizens and an agreement to create a zone of shared prosperity in the Campo de Gibraltar”.
Spain is awaiting the start of negotiations between London and Brussels on the future of Gibraltar after Brexit, once the EU-27 have given the go-ahead to the European Commission’s negotiating mandate.
On 21 July, a few days after taking office, Albares travelled to London to try to calm down the former British Foreign Minister, Dominic Raab, after the first draft of the negotiating mandate on Gibraltar did not include the presence of Frontex members in the control of passengers at the port and airport of the colony, leaving everything in the hands of the Spanish security forces.
On the other hand, according to Truss, in the telephone conversation they also spoke of “working together to guarantee openness in travel” and to “boost trade and investment”.
