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The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend
the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has regular discussions with
his Spanish counterpart. While they have not yet met to discuss Gibraltar directly,
the Foreign Secretary made clear the Government’s well-known position on Gibraltar
to the Spanish Foreign Minister in writing when he took office last year. The Foreign
Secretary hopes to visit Spain soon and would certainly raise Spain’s policy towards
Gibraltar when he does. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs,
my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), frequently raises Gibraltar
when he speaks to his Spanish counterpart, as do other Government ministers. The Secretary
of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Mr Fallon), recently
raised unlawful incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters when speaking
to Spanish Defence Minister, Pedro Morenés. We stand by our commitment never to enter
into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty
of another State against their wishes. And we will not enter into a process of sovereignty
negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content. Ministers and officials continue
to make this position clear to the Spanish government.
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