The Catalan parliament has declared independence from Spain following a secret ballot which received 70 votes in favor of independent rule, 10 against, and two blank ballots. The vote was boycotted by opposition members.
27 October 2017 17:59 GMT
Serbia has denounced the Catalan parliament’s declaration, stating that such actions, as with Kosovo’s secession, are illegal. It said the only difference between the two was the reaction of the international community.
“Serbia supports the territorial integrity of Spain and this act contradicts the Spanish constitutional system. Unlike how other countries have reacted to the Kosovo unilateral declaration of independence – Serbia firmly rejects any similar acts anywhere in the world, including Catalonia,” Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said.
16:57 GMT
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said in a Twitter thread that nobody in the EU will recognize Catalonia’s statement of independence.
16:50 GMT
Police in Barcelona are regulating access to Plaza de San Jaime due to the large crowds gathered there.
French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed his support for Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, regarding the crisis taking place in Catalonia.
“I have always said that I have one interlocutor in Spain; it is Prime Minister Rajoy,” Macron told journalists on the sidelines of a visit to French Guiana.
“There is a rule of law in Spain with constitutional rules. Mariano Rajoy wants these rules to be respected and he has my full support,” Macron added.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who was accompanying Macron, also said it was important to avoid any splits and “fractures” in the European Union bloc.
An extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers has been convened to approve measures authorized by the Spanish Senate on the basis of Article 155.
16:30 GMT
Pro-independence supporters are marching along Plaza de San Jaime in the center of Barcelona’s Old City.
Spain’s Constitutional Court is launching proceedings against the independence declaration, Reuters reports.
NATO says that Catalonia is a domestic issue that should be resolved by Spain.
“Spain is a committed ally, which makes important contributions to our shared security. The Catalonia issue is a domestic matter which should be resolved within Spain’s constitutional order,” a NATO official told Reuters.
The German government does not recognize Catalan’s declaration of independence, according to a statement shared on Twitter by German spokesman Steffen Seibert.
15:47 GMT
The prime minister of Belgium has appealed for “a peaceful solution” to the situation in Spain, “with respect for national and international order”.
https://www.rt.com/news/407960-catalonia-spain-independence-parliament/
Sounds like a hinting at starting the Spanish Civil War again, could be interesting to watch.
Been keeping an eye on this one… Spain is talking nuclear option, and arrests of dissenters.
This one could get real ugly… overnight.
“NATO says that Catalonia is a domestic issue that should be resolved by Spain.”
For once, they’re right.
Considering that they have ZERO authority to stick their big noses in ANY country’s personal business.