CM hails treaty agreement as ‘triumph of diplomacy’, urges UN to act on delisting Gibraltar

The political agreement for a UK/EU treaty on Gibraltar represents “a triumph of diplomacy” that removes physical barriers, build bridges and respects the choice of the people of Gibraltar, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo told the UN Fourth Committee on Tuesday.

Addressing the UN in New York for the first time after the agreement was sealed on June 11, Mr Picardo updated diplomats on the treaty as he delivered his annual appeal to the committee to engage once and for all with Gibraltar and acknowledge its self-governing reality.

Mr Picardo urged the committee to “break its silence” and take steps to delist Gibraltar from the UN list of non-self-governing territories or make alternative “constructive” proposals to accelerate the path to that goal.

“The time has come for you to act,” he said.

“It is time to recognise that decolonisation is not about cartography.”

“It is about consent.”

The agreement for a treaty, he said, provides “…a sovereignty-neutral framework that respects our sovereignty and our identity”, as well as “unimpeded access” into the EU Schengen area and Customs Union.

“This agreement is a triumph of diplomacy,” he said.

“It removes physical barriers, but it also builds bridges.”

“It delivers mutual benefit for Gibraltarians and the people of the region around us.”

“And most importantly, it respects the choices of the people of Gibraltar.”

Mr Picardo acknowledged the words of Spain’s King Felipe in an address to the UN General Assembly a fortnight ago, in which he noted that both the population of the Campo and “importantly” that of Gibraltar would benefit from the agreement.

“That reference marks a welcome shift in tone, one that acknowledges our role as legitimate stakeholders in shaping our future,” the Chief Minister said.

“We appreciate that historic acknowledgment.”

“It affirms what we have always said.”

“That genuine cooperation across borders must be built on mutual respect and recognition, not on denial or erasure.”

The Chief Minister nevertheless pointed to the stark contrast between what had been achieved in the treaty negotiation and the traditional position espoused by Spain at the UN, where it insists year after year that the principle of territorial integrity trumps the right of the people of Gibraltar to self determination.

Those resolution were adopted in the 1960s at the instigation of what the current Spanish government describes as “a fascist regime”, Mr Picardo told the session.

“As a fruit of the murderous Franco regime, those resolutions are politically toxic for modern Spain,” Mr Picardo said.

“It is embarrassing to hear the representative of a modern, progressive Spain place reliance on them.”

He said those resolutions were in any case “legally worthless” and did not override the right of the people of Gibraltar to decide their own future.

“Let me say it plainly: Spain ceded Gibraltar in perpetuity in 1713,” he said.

“That is a fact, not a matter of interpretation, a fact.”

“It is in black and white in the Treaty of Utrecht.”

“And it is the reality that the C24 would see if they sent a visiting mission.”

“No resolution of this Assembly can change it.”

“No diplomatic pressure can erase it.”

“And no historical grievance can override our unquestionable legal right to self-determination.”

Mr Picardo once again urged the UN to engage with Gibraltar and finally recognise that the only path to delisting was one that reflected the freely and democratically expressed wishes of the Gibraltarians.

“We are not anti-Spanish,” he added.

“We embrace cooperation with our Spanish neighbours.”

“But we will not be subsumed, we will not be annexed, we will not be silenced, and our legal rights are unaffected by this Committee’s failure to act.”