Gibraltar ministers visit Cardiff for formal discussions

CHIEF MINISTER PICARDO and Deputy Chief Minister Garcia have travelled to Cardiff on an official visit at the invitation of the First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones AM. The invitation arises from a meeting between Mr Picardo and Mr Jones during the Labour Party conference in September of this year.

There will be a formal meeting between the two delegations at the Welsh Government offices during which a wide range of issues are expected to be raised with the objective of establishing closer links between Gibraltar and Wales.

In addition to this, Mr Picardo and Dr Garcia will also attend a meeting of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly which takes place at the same time. The Assembly includes parliamentarians from Westminster, Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. This is the first time that Gibraltar will be present in this forum.

It is expected that much of the focus will be on the ongoing discussion for the potential exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union. The delegates will be addressed by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland James Brokenshire and the Minister of State at the UK Department for Exiting the EU Robin Walker who is the main Ministerial contact for Gibraltar in relation to these discussions. 

Mr Picardo and Dr Garcia will also attend a formal working dinner at Cardiff Castle which will include all the delegates as well as the First Minister of Wales, the Lord Mayor of Cardiff and the British and Irish Co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Assembly and Mr Picardo has been invited to deliver the after dinner address.