The Minister of Tourism and Foreign Affairs of Andalusia, Arturo Bernal, criticized the Spanish government this Tuesday for the lack of information on the agreement with the United Kingdom regarding Gibraltarwhich The Ministry of Foreign Affairs “strongly” denied this.
Bernal, during a parliamentary appearance, criticized Foreign Affairs that when he requested information from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albaresabout this negotiation, he told her that “We learned about it in the Official Journal and it was so cool.”
The advisor, faced with criticism from the opposition in the Andalusian Parliament, He also denounced the information “blackout” that the Junta de Andalucía has suffered in this process since 2018, when the PP joined the Andalusian government.
Following these statements, sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs They “categorically” denied the statements of the Andalusian advisor.
The same sources added to EFE that the minister met seven times with representatives of the Andalusian government, the mayors of Campo de Gibraltar and the social partners to inform them in detail of the progress of the negotiations on Gibraltar with the United Kingdom. . and the European Commission and seek their opinion.
The ministry takes into account the advisor’s statements, “In addition to being false, they do not contribute to the climate of trust and the collaboration necessary in the face of such a complex negotiation which requires institutional loyalty.”
It is for this reason that Albares asked the President of the Council, Juanma Moreno, “that he has already called twice to give him information on the negotiations.”s, a conversation to clarify the motivation for these unfortunate statements and demand the necessary respect and collaboration between administrations.”
On October 9, Minister Albares met with the Advisor to the Presidency of the Council, Antonio Sanz, Bernal and the mayors of the municipalities of Campo de Gibraltar to inform them of the negotiations with the United Kingdom.
After this meeting, Sanz complained that the Andalusian government “at no time” did she have “her rightful place” in these negotiations.