“We have recorded our deep satisfaction with the progress that has been achieved by the committees established under the MoUs. They have addressed important practical issues and created a climate of confidence between us.”

The second round of meetings takes place in Gibraltar next week.

He added: “We have also talked about the many opportunities that Gibraltar and the Campo de Gibraltar can seize from the challenges that Brexit presents to all of us.

“We agreed that working together we can turn this into a rainbow of opportunities which can turn this region into an arc of prosperity for all of the people who live in and around it.”

There is a lot of work to do, he said. And there is not much time to do it.

“I have committed my government, my team and myself to provide all of our ability, capacity and enthusiasm in the determination to finalise ambitious arrangements that can deliver the future area of shared prosperity which we all want to see.

“We want a win-win and together we can deliver it.”

Earlier, La Linea mayor Juan Franco impressed on the Spanish minister that relations with Gibraltar affect them, from cross frontier workers to small and medium-sized businesses which depend economically on Gibraltar.

Certainly, Ms Gonzalez Laya has taken a clear message to Madrid: That good relations and dependence on Gibraltar are vital considerations for the future of a Spanish region which has long been neglected by those looking at it from afar in Madrid.

But the Spanish minister has chosen to take a close look to understand what are the complexities of the issues, evidently putting sovereignty on the back burner.

24-07-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR