SPAIN AGAINST THE CATALONIA NATION --- Diplomatic scuffle: Spain accuses Sweden of interference over visit by Catalan Foreign Minister | VilaWeb
SPAIN A FASCIST STATE
Diplomatic scuffle: Spain accuses Sweden of interference over visit by Catalan Foreign Minister
Spain’s Foreign Minister avows that his government uses its resources and contacts to stop Catalonia’s breakaway push
Last weekend, the Catalan government’s
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Raul Romeva, made an official visit to
Sweden, stirring diplomatic tension between Spain and Sweden. Spain’s
ambassador to Sweden, Javier Jiménez-Ugarte, acknowledged to the Swedish
newspaper Dagens Nyheter that he had attempted to boycott the
conference that Romeva gave at the Swedish Institute of International
Affairs, in which the president of the Swedish parliament’s European
Affairs commission, Carl Schlyter, also participated. The Swedish
government, however, ignored the ambassador’s request to speak at the
event.
The newspaper quoted Jiménez-Ugarte as
saying that ‘Sweden is meddling in Spain’s internal affairs’. In the
diplomatic arena, such an accusation is regarded as serious.
The Spanish government, far from denying
the statements of its ambassador to Sweden, has openly admitted them.
Spain’s acting Foreign Minister, José Manuel Garcia Margallo, stated
that it is ‘absolutely true’ that his government is using its resources
and foreign ministry contacts to help stop Catalonia’s independence
drive.
Romeva arrived in Sweden last Sunday and
remained in the country until Tuesday; he had an intense agenda during
his visit, which included interviews with several newspapers and
television stations, a luncheon with editors, a lecture at the Swedish
Institute of International Affairs, and a working session with experts
and officials in the Swedish government and parliament.
Although this is not the first time that
the Spanish government has attempted to boycott a Catalan event abroad,
it is the first time it has admitted to it. It is also the first time
that it has targeted and questioned the role of the host country after a
visit by Catalan officials.
