FOREIGN AFFAIRS: “There is no doubt that we will continue to do foreign action”, said Puigdemont
Puigdemont vows to ignore court’s foreign affairs ruling and continue diplomatic efforts
The president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, vowed to press onward
with his government’s diplomatic efforts, stating that Raül Romeva will
continue to serve as Catalonia’s minister for foreign affairs.
Puigdemont’s statement comes after the Spanish constitutional court’s
suspension of the Catalan foreign ministry following the court’s
agreement to take up the challenge brought by the Spanish government.
Puigdemont insisted that engaging in diplomatic activity falls within
the scope of the Catalan government’s powers. “We are not about to
stop,” he warned. Extending an ironic thanks to the court, Puigdemont
made reference to a joke taunting Real Madrid made by FC Barcelona
player Gerard Piqué: ‘Thank you, constitutional court, everything began
with you.’
The precautionary suspension of the Catalan ministry of foreign
affairs will remain in effect for five months. The court will have to
rule on the existence of the department within this time frame.
On 5 February, the Spanish government challenged before the
constitutional court the Catalan government’s decree establishing its
ministry of foreign affairs. The vice president of Spain, Soraya Sáenz
de Santamaria, and the justice minister, Rafael Català, warned that
there was an institutional conflict and overlap, and said that the
Catalan government was overstepping its bounds by meddling in
international affairs.
The underlying motive for this stance is the Spanish government’s
opposition to the separatist roadmap that the Catalan government is
implementing with the support of the Catalan parliament. When the
department was created, Romeva himself declared it the first element of
the future Catalan republic’s state structures.
