According to information published by the Spanish media this morning, the British Labour government will try to dispel any doubts this week about its “unwavering commitment” to the self-determination of its overseas territories.
The analysis by the Iberian press is supported by the transfer of sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, which took place last October.
Thus, from yesterday, Monday, until the 21st, the headquarters of the Foreign Office in London will serve as the setting for a series of meetings between a large part of the Commonwealth territories and the new UK executive.
Stephen Doughty, Secretary of State for Europe, North America and the Overseas Territories , welcomed his representatives last night: “They are a very valuable part of the British family and we will support them and defend their right to self-determination. We will work more closely together to face the challenges, with a new spirit of collaboration,” he said through his networks.
The discourse of self-determination appeals especially to two territories in conflict: Gibraltar and the Malvina Islands, under the respective claim of sovereignty by Spain and Argentina.
The debate will not only include this issue, but also others, such as security, irregular migration, financial transparency, climate change, infrastructure and economic resilience.
Doughty's insistence on self-determination is presumably intended to calm the uneasy mood that has been brewing for a month since Keir Starmer's government announced the transfer of sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while retaining the use of the British-American military base on the island of Diego Garcia in the archipelago.
Source: Gibraltar XXI
