Gibraltar will not give an inch on sovereignty, Garcia tells Congressmen

The Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia has told Members of the United States Congress that Gibraltar will not cede an inch of its sovereignty, jurisdiction and control as it prepares to leave the European Union.

Dr Garcia further highlighted the danger of Spain challenging the status quo by redrawing the borders of Europe at a time of so much uncertainty and instability on the Continent.

Dr Garcia is in Washington on a two-day lobbying visit.

In addition to meeting with Republican and Democratic Members of Congress, he is also meeting officials on Capitol Hill and others in the area of foreign relations.

According to the Government, a considerable amount of time in these meetings is spent countering the misinformation about Gibraltar which is being put around by Spain.

“Indeed, a number of Congressmen have received briefing papers about Gibraltar from the Spanish Embassy in Washington which are inaccurate and factually incorrect,” a Government statement read.

Dr Garcia has therefore been busy setting the record straight and defending the position of Gibraltar, it added.

In response to questions about the impact of Brexit, Dr Garcia has explained that as the UK prepares to leave the European Union, it is engaged in discussions with a number of Member States, including Spain, about Gibraltar.

“The Gibraltar Government is directly involved in those meetings that are relevant to Gibraltar, and have been positively seeking solutions which do not cross our red lines.”

“It remains to be seen whether Spain can find the political goodwill to move forward with solutions that do not impact on sovereignty. We welcome such solutions but we will not give an inch on sovereignty, jurisdiction and control. It is clearly not just about sovereignty but about the attributes of sovereignty as well,” Dr Garcia has reiterated.