Spain’s Foreign Affairs Minister says that an independent Catalonia would wander aimlessly in space

  • 'It would be out of the European Union for centuries of centuries,' said the Spanish minister

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10.03.2014 - 16:43

La premsa lliure no la paga el govern, la paguen els lectors


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The Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, José Manuel García-Margallo, said today that a unilateral declaration of independence ‘would condemn Catalonia to wandering around in space without international recognition’ and would mean that the country would be excluded from the EU for centuries of centuries’. According to the minister, this is ‘contrary to Catalonia’s vocation’ which is to be part of the European community. ‘It’s a very risky operation to take Catalonia back so much time,’ he added. ‘Secession is very serious for Spain but it is especially grave for Catalonia, it’s time to say so, so that the risks to which an essentially European population is being subjected are known,’ he concluded.

Margallo made the statement in an event at the New Economy Forum, in front of the Vice Prime Minister of Georgia and Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Giorgi Kvirikaixvili, and he gave as an example South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The recognition of these territories, within Georgia, has not come despite, according to the minister, the fact that they had celebrated ‘illegal’ referendums ‘that went against the regulations and principles of internal and international legality.’ He has used the same argument for Ukraine and Crimea, in recent days.

In the question and answer period, an attendee at the colloquium asked him to relate the reference to Catalonia. The Minister declared that there will be no EU recognition of an independent Catalonia and therefore, said, ‘its entry into the EU will be neither recognized nor considered’.

Legal Limbo
The minister insisted that the UN only recognizes self-determination of a territory in case of colonies, military occupation or human rights violations. Therefore, he concluded, that explains the few countries—Russia or Venezuela—which have recognized territories like Ossetia. In terms of international recognition they are in legal limbo and he warned that this would mean they don’t have access to the International Monetary Fund or to its associated institutions like Bretton Woods.

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La premsa lliure no la paga el govern. La paguem els lectors.

Fes-te de VilaWeb, fem-nos lliures.

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