The Catalan government’s secretary of foreign affairs, Roger Albinyana, and the secretary general of Diplocat, Albert Royo, appeared today before the foreign affairs commission of the Belgian parliament to explain the sovereignty process and the consequences of the September 27 elections. The appearance was the result of a formal invitation by the president of the commission, Dirk Van Der Maelen, who belongs to the SP.A party (Flemish socialists), with over a dozen other Belgian MPs in attendance.
In statements to the Món, Albinyana said that “the meeting was very cordial” and that of his six appearances before national parliaments, “it is here where we were received in the most natural manner.” What’s more, Albinyana pointed out that the Belgian MPs were “quite well-informed” and that there were a couple of questions about the reform of the Constitutional Court that the PP government is keen to push through. At the same time, “they were surprised that the Spanish government had not acted with more initiative from the beginning of the process, and that it had refused to hold talks.”
The Catalan government’s secretary of foreign affairs also complained about the Spanish government’s constant pressure to veto these types of appearances: “There is always pressure. The Spanish ambassador demanded explanations from the parliamentary president as to why the appearance had been organised, and he was told that in a democratic chamber all opinions can be heard,” said Albinyana.
