Gibraltar visit for Royal Navy warship is routine, says MoD

Gibraltar visit for Royal Navy warship is routine, says MoD

A Royal Navy warship is to pay a “routine” visit to Gibraltar, the UK government has said, amid a continuing row with Spain over border checks.

Relations between Gibraltar and Spain have deteriorated in recent weeks.

But the Ministry of Defence said the visit was “long-planned” and one of many “regular and routine deployments”.

HMS Westminster, accompanied by two auxiliary ships, makes up part of a task force which is destined for the Middle East.

‘Granted permission’

Other warships in the task force will visit ports in Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and Malta. “Gibraltar is a strategic base for UK defence and as such Royal Navy ships visit its waters throughout the year as part of a range of regular and routine deployments,” an MoD spokesman said.

Spain’s foreign ministry agreed that the visit was “routine”, adding that the UK government had asked for permission to stop over at the Rota naval base, which is near the Strait of Gibraltar in south-west Spain.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23624715