Dilip Kuner
ANDALUCIA’S President has called for a move towards joint sovereignty between the UK and Spain over Gibraltar.
Juanma Moreno, has said he wanted cooperation amid the political turmoil in the United Kingdom after the ‘resignation’ of Boris Johnson as Conservative party leader.
But he added that the ‘reasonable’ thing to do would be to edge towards co-sovereignty. He said: “It would be the most desirable, reasonable and sensible course for both workers in the Campo de Gibraltar and for the Gibraltarians themselves.”
The Government of Gibraltar responded swiftly, welcoming Moreno’s call for cooperation, but underlining that shared sovereignty is not on the table.
A spokesman said: “The Government of Gibraltar welcomes positive mutual cooperation with Spain and with the region of Andalucia next door, with no strings attached.
“However, this Government, as a matter of policy, and Gibraltar as a whole will not entertain shared or joint sovereignty in any form.
“It will be recalled that in 2002 that very principle was put to the people of Gibraltar in a referendum and this was decisively and overwhelmingly rejected. That situation has not changed and it will not change and the British sovereignty of Gibraltar will not change or be shared.”
But he added: “There is nonetheless still scope, between the obvious differences on sovereignty, to be able to work together on practical issues to improve the lives of citizens on both sides of the border, all the more so following the U.K. and Gibraltar’s departure from the EU. So cooperation yes, joint sovereignty no! The two do not need to mix.”
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