The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, has assured that There is “progress” in the agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom on Gibraltar, after meeting this Tuesday with his British counterpart, David Cameron, although he has acknowledged discrepancies regarding the formula for joint use of the airport, which is one of the “last aspects” that “separate them from being able to have a definitive agreement” .

Albares explained that the meeting between the two on the sidelines of the NATO Foreign Ministerial meeting in Brussels took place without “any tension or any dispute” and that both ministers are “focused” in landing the formulas that allow us to focus on specific “effective and practical” aspects so that this area of ​​shared prosperity between Gibraltar and Campo de Gibraltar can start.

The minister has assured that the political agreement is practically closed, but has admitted that there are “fringe issues” such as the joint use of the airport, among others that he has avoided listing. for “diplomatic discretion”since the exchanges between London and Madrid will now correspond to the technical teams.

Although he has avoided outlining a time horizon, he has added that the agreement “it should not be delayed any further”, At the same time, he recalled that the agreement has to be closed with the European Commission, which is why he considers that the start of the European election campaign on June 9 will be a “final point.”

However, he is confident that he can achieve it because most of the deal is “closed” and given that his British counterpart has shown “exactly the same will” that Albares himself has to “find the formulas for those small aspects that remain to be closed.”

Strategy for the southern neighborhood

On the other hand, Albares has also highlighted that one of the aspects on which the allies have agreed in their ministerial meeting this Tuesday is that NATO “cannot ignore” the “very dramatic” situation that currently exists. It is lived in the Middle East, the Maghreb and the Sahel.

In this sense, he recalled that the secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, created a few months ago, to give “substance and content” to that part of the Strategic Concept that was agreed at the Madrid summit, a group of experts who will deliver their report to the ministers next April.

Immediately afterwards, Albares specified that “from April to July”, ahead of the NATO summit In Washington, the allies will work to develop an “authentic strategy” that takes into account the southern neighborhood. “Until now there have been NATO actions, but it is about complying with the mandate that came from the Madrid strategic concept,” the minister concluded.