EMEA News
UK Summons Spanish Ambassador over Gibraltar
The UK Foreign Office has summoned Spanish Ambassador Federico Trillo to address "provocative" activities by a Spanish naval vessel in Gibraltar waters, the BBC reports.
Europe Minister David Lidington said he was "extremely concerned" by the incident, where the navy ship allegedly tried to direct two vessels away from the port of Gibraltar, wrongly claiming they were in Spanish waters.
Lidington said the action violated the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and represented a "cynical attempt by the Spanish government to disrupt Gibraltar's economy, in contravention of international law."
"I condemn this provocative activity and urge the Spanish government to ensure that it is not repeated," he said.
Tensions over Gibraltar, which has long been a subject of contention between the UK and Spain, have heightened over the past year over disagreements about fishing and bunkering.
The Foreign Office reports more than 600 Spanish incursions into British waters since the start of 2013.
Earlier this year, Spain threatened a Gibraltar bunker supplier with sanctions over its activity in Gibraltar waters that Spain claims as its own, prompting a response from the UK decrying the move as a violation of British sovereignty.
