LONDON (Sputnik) – In a statement quoting Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Hugo Swire, Spanish vessels were criticized for repeatedly entering Gibraltar waters without notifying its authorities.
“We understand that the Spanish were in pursuit of vessels who may have been committing crimes. However it is completely unacceptable and unlawful under the international law of the sea to enter our waters without notifying us,” Swire stressed.
The densely populated area on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula remains a major point of contention in Britain’s diplomatic relations with Spain. Gibraltar’s population estimated at 30,000 rejected Spain’s proposals for sovereignty in referendums held in 1967 and 2002.
Swire criticized Sunday’s “repeated incursions” into Gibraltar as a “clear violation of UK sovereignty” carried out by another member of the European Union.
“We will be raising this as a matter of urgency with the Spanish authorities,” he added.
