Catalan President Pere Aragones warned Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in an informal conversation that the issue of Catalonia's independence was not yet over and insisted on holding a referendum, Spanish media reported Thursday
MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th January, 2023) Catalan President Pere Aragones warned Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in an informal conversation that the issue of Catalonia's independence was not yet over and insisted on holding a referendum, Spanish media reported Thursday.
Aragones spoke with Sanchez on the sidelines of a Franco-Spanish summit, attended by French President Emmanuel Macron. After greeting the leaders, Aragones reportedly left the event immediately, without waiting for the Spanish and French anthems to be played.
The Catalan leader later told journalists that the conflict between Catalonia and Madrid would not disappear if the authorities ignored it, and noted the need for a referendum recognized by all sides, according to Spanish broadcaster RTVE.
"As long as the state continues to look the other way, as long as Catalonia cannot decide its future and as long as the vote is not accepted, there will be a political conflict, because the democratic will of the majority cannot be stopped," Aragones was quoted as saying by the broadcaster.
The meeting between Sanchez and Macron, who arrived in Barcelona to sign a treaty on Franco-Spanish friendship and cooperation, took place against the backdrop of street demonstrations organized by pro-independence associations in Catalonia.
Last December, the Spanish prime minister said there would never be a referendum on self-determination in Catalonia, noting that the region's independence process was complete.
In the October 2017 referendum, which Madrid called illegal, over 90% of voters supported Catalonia's independence. The Spanish government refused to recognize the results of the vote, the turnout for which fell below 50% and stood at 43%.
In October 2019, the Supreme Court sentenced 12 Catalan politicians and activists for organizing an unauthorized referendum on independence and issuing a unilateral declaration of independence. Nine people were found guilty of mutiny and received sentences ranging from nine to 13 years in prison. Three were found guilty of insubordination and given fines.
