In this file photo taken on Jan 31, 2020 the EU flag flies next to Gibraltar's flag (center) and the Union Jack (right) in Gibraltar. （JORGE GUERRERO / AFP）

Spain struck a last-minute deal with the UK over Gibraltar that will avoid fresh restrictions at its border with the European Union once Britain leaves the bloc on Jan. 1.

Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya told reporters on Thursday that a preliminary agreement had been reached and that they have the basis to build a zone of cooperation.

Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said Thursday that a preliminary agreement had been reached and that they have the basis to build a zone of cooperation

The Brexit trade accord sealed on Dec. 24 didn’t include a settlement for the British overseas territory with a population of about 32,000. A failure to reach an accord threatened more intense passport checks and disruption at a border that in pre-COVID-19 times handled as many as 30,000 crossings daily.

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The border will operate under Schengen agreement terms while the final deal is hammered out and Spain will be responsible for applying them, Gonzalez Laya said. Spain hopes the final agreement will come into force within six months, she said.

“This is a good accord, because we answer the aspirations of our citizens,” said Gonzalez Laya.

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Gibraltar has been no stranger to tensions with Spain since the British took control of the Rock in 1713. Many inhabitants of the strategic outcrop vividly remember a 13-year blockade enforced by Spanish dictator Francisco Franco that only ended in 1982.