The United Kingdom has expressed its willingness to engage in negotiations with the European Union on security and defense issues. This was stated by Foreign Secretary David Lammy in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El País.
According to him, London aims to strengthen cooperation with its European partners and NATO while also considering increasing the private sector’s contribution to defense.
The United Kingdom is no longer a member of the EU, but to ensure the security of the continent, Europe must act as a unified front. That is why we are ready to negotiate a security and defense cooperation agreement with the EU, the minister said.
In addition, Lammy touched on the issue of Gibraltar, emphasizing that London will only sign agreements that “protect the sovereignty of the territory and the UK’s military base.” He noted that negotiations on this matter are ongoing, but any resolution must take into account the interests of the region’s residents.
The status of Gibraltar remains a point of contention between the UK and Spain. Despite Madrid’s territorial claims, local residents voted in referendums in 1967 and 2002 to remain under British control. After the UK’s exit from the EU, this issue has once again become a topic of international discussion.
