Minister Alfano: “Today, the president of the regional government of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, speaking before the Parliament of his region, announced the deferred independence of Catalonia and then suspended it temporarily to enable the start of a dialogue with Madrid aimed at finalising its secession from Spain.
Over the past few weeks, we have repeatedly invited Catalonia to engage in a shared and constructive process with Madrid, with the aim of fostering the unity of the Country in compliance with the autonomist prerogatives enshrined in the Spanish Constitution.
Thus, Italy considers the unilateral declaration of independence to be unacceptable and rejects all forms of escalation. We confide in the capacity of the Spanish Government to ensure constitutional order and legality and consequently guarantee respect for the rights of all citizens.”
