<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, held his first conversation this Wednesday with his new UK counterpart, Yvette Cooper, who took office on September 5, replacing fellow Labour leader David Lammy.</strong></h4> "I have spoken with my new UK counterpart, Yvette Cooper," Albares wrote on social media. "We agreed to work together to continue strengthening cooperation between Spain and the UK in the new phase of our relations," he continued. "We also joined forces for peace in Ukraine and Gaza," he concluded. The conversation took place just a week after the meeting in London between Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whom he congratulated for having "successfully concluded a fundamental agreement between Spain, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission regarding Gibraltar." The two leaders also expressed their "alignment on various issues and policies," such as "climate change and the terrible tragedy, the situation we are facing in Gaza." They signed a new Bilateral Strategic Framework that strengthens ties between the two countries and deepens collaboration and cooperation on a wide range of issues, structured into seven sections: sustainable growth, foreign and development policy, relations between the two societies, climate and energy policy, European security and defense, judicial cooperation and migration, and transport. On June 11, Albares, Lammy, and European Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič reached "a final political agreement on the fundamental aspects of the future Agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom in relation to Gibraltar" in Brussels. The agreement, which is expected to be embodied in a treaty that is still being negotiated, safeguards the respective legal positions of Spain and the United Kingdom regarding sovereignty and jurisdiction," according to the joint declaration. It guarantees the free movement of people by removing borders and controls between Gibraltar and Campo de Gibraltar. It establishes that the Spanish national police will be responsible, on behalf of the European Union, for carrying out full Schengen controls at the Gibraltar port and airport. Specifically, Yvette Cooper wrote a message on social media this Wednesday in which she stated that "Gibraltar is a treasured part of the British family" and conveyed her "best wishes" to the Chief Minister "on Gibraltar National Day." "We reaffirmed our shared aim to agree and implement the Treaty as soon as possible," she added. <h4></h4>
