Spain’s King Felipe hails ‘historic’ Gibraltar pact in UN address

Spain’s King Felipe VI hailed the “historic” political agreement for a UK/EU treaty on Gibraltar during a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, in which he said the treaty would bring “confidence, legal certainty and stability” to communities either side of the border.

Addressing diplomats under the gaze of Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Manuel Albares, Felipe reflected on the Gibraltar treaty during a wide-ranging speech in which he championed a defence of the UN, multilateralism and the rule of law in troubled times.

His comments on Gibraltar came as he described the EU as a “model of multilateralism” whose voice “is more necessary than ever”.

“I believe it is important to recall that on June 11 a definitive political agreement was announced on the fundamental aspects of the future agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom,” he said toward the end of his address.

“A historic pact, respectful of my country’s position regarding sovereignty and jurisdiction over Gibraltar, which will bring confidence, legal certainty, and stability to the lives of the people of the Campo de Gibraltar and Gibraltar itself.”

The reference to sovereignty reflects the June 11 statement announcing the deal, in which all negotiating parties said the treaty will include a clause that makes "explicitly clear" it is without prejudice to the respective legal positions of the UK and Spain in respect of sovereignty and jurisdiction.

The Spanish monarch’s comments came as Chief Minister Fabian Picardo confirmed in the Gibraltar Parliament that technical teams were meeting this week to discuss ongoing work to finalise the legal text of the treaty.

“We are working to settle the text as soon as possible,” he said.