The head of the Catalonians in Parliament: Sė will stop seeking recognition of Kosovo by Spain

The Catalan Parliament “Junts for Citalunya” has taken an initiative in the Spain Parliament to seek the Government of Spain recognition of Kosovo's independence by the Spanish government. In an interview with this issue, the leader of the Cataluna deputies at the Spain Parliament, Miriam Nogueras, has spoken.

Catalan politician in this interview for Express has shown that the initiative is currently supporting the Catalan, Basque and Galician parties, and that the Spanish parties' stance about recognising Kosovo remains the same. She says the Spanish refusal stance on Kosovo's name relates to fears that it could be a precedent for possible recognition of an independent Catalan state by other countries.

Nogueras has indicated that the proposal requiring the government of Spain to recognise Kosovo could be passed to Parliament with a simple majority, however, explains that only the Government of Spain can make the decision to recognise Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state.

The leader of the Catalluna deputies has said they will stop demanding support for their initiative until the last minute and adds that they will continue to seek recognition of Kosovo even after the vote, which will take place in 25 quarters, since they condition it as a matter of values and political principles for respecting the right to self-rule for all nations.

INT PLOSE ERVIS:

Question: Do you have support from any other political party within the Spanish Parliament for your initiative so far?

Miriam Nogueras: We expect support from all Catalan, Basque and Galician political parties. I cannot say the same about Spanish political parties. We'll negotiate until the last minute.

Question: After the elections, you supported the formation of the Spanish government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Do you expect support from Mr. Sanchez for this?

Miriam Nogueras: Mr. Socialist Party. Sanchez has not expressed any intention to support the initiative. They have the same position as the conservative PP party. In general, for Spanish parties this is a state issue, a kind of red line. They think any recognition of Kosovo's independence could be a precedent for possible recognition of an independent Catalan state by other countries. That is true fear behind the Spanish political parties' stance.

Question: How many votes do you need to pass the proposal to Parliament and what are the future procedures if your proposal gets the necessary majority of votes in Parliament?

Miriam Nogueras: The proposal could pass by a simple majority of votes, but eventually recognition of a new sovereign state can only be realised by the government.

Question: Can the Spanish Government refuse to implement your proposal if it passes to Parliament by majority of votes, or will the Spanish Government be obliged to recognise Kosovo?

Miriam Nogueras: As I said, the Spanish government cannot be forced to recognise a new country.

Question: What is the reason that “Junts” is pushing this initiative and do you think other EU member states should recognise Kosovo as a state?

Miriam Nogueras: The position of “Junts” has always been in favour of recognising Kosovo as an independent state. And all these years we've had an active position on this issue in all the institutions where we're present: The European Parliament, the Catalan Parliament and the Spanish Parliament. In the European Parliament, let me remind you that President Charles Puigdemont, as Eurodeputs, in Brussels has been constantly pushing Spain to follow the path of many other EU member states to recognise Kosovo as an independent country.

We will continue to postpone Kosovo's recognition after next week's vote, as this is certainly a fair issue. For us, this is a matter of values and political principles - respect for the right to self - determination for all nations.