The President of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, has said that he is convinced that the negotiation process with the Government “will finally culminate in an independent Catalonia that will be recognized by the European Union and also by the Spanish State”, in an interview published by this Monday the Argentine newspaper The nation. Aragonès speaks in this interview of the negotiation process with the Government of Pedro Sánchez and affirms that they have been “very demanding” in starting it. The president stresses that ERC “facilitated the eviction of Mariano Rajoy from the Popular Party and the state government and that there could be a change of government that could continue with a clear commitment, to advance in this negotiation process.”
“We started a second round of negotiations a few weeks ago in Barcelona. In this already polarized conflict between Spanish and Catalan society there is a lot of pain because many people have been in jail or have relatives in exile. It is evident that it is not easy to start ”, he adds. But he goes on to emphasize: “I am convinced that we are going to achieve it, that it will be a reality, and that this negotiation process will finally culminate in an independent Catalonia that will be recognized by the European Union and also by the Spanish State.” Aragonès said a few weeks ago that he was confident that the self-determination referendum could be held before 2030.
The Catalan president defends the self-determination referendum in the interview: ”We want to do it in a manner agreed with the State. Our mirror is that of Scotland, which was able to carry out a referendum agreed with the British government. If it has been possible in Scotland in relation to the United Kingdom, it must also be possible in Catalonia in relation to Spain. There are instruments in the Constitution so that a referendum of these characteristics can be carried out ”. The president he relativizes the differences between the pro-independence parties and points out: “We agree on the two main measures to resolve the conflict: the referendum and the amnesty and, in that sense, there is an agreement. At ERC we have been leading initiatives in favor of a political negotiation and there are other forces that are more skeptical. But I can understand the skepticism especially looking at the trajectory of the last few years. At the same time, I believe that we cannot miss any opportunity to defend independence ”.
At one point in the interview, Aragonès says that he does not fear an escalation of violence in civil society because “beyond some specific episodes, which is more an ideological polarization than anything else, Catalan society is a society that admits difference ”. “It is not about two communities facing each other in the same territory. No It happens that those of us who are in favor of independence only relate to the independentistas. In family and professional environments and with our friends, there is a diversity of opinions ”, he assures.