Aragonès wants to meet with Spanish president before resumption of dialogue table

New Catalan president also wants to create Agreement for Amnesty and Self-Determination with pro-independence entities

Newly appointed Catalan president Pere Aragonès leaves the offices of ERC in the Catalan parliament with his wife (by Jordi Play)
Newly appointed Catalan president Pere Aragonès leaves the offices of ERC in the Catalan parliament with his wife (by Jordi Play) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

May 24, 2021 12:22 PM

The newly appointed president of the Catalan government, Pere Aragonès, wants to meet with his Spanish head of government Pedro Sánchez before reconvening the dialogue table between Catalonia and Spain. 

The dialogue table between the two administrations was part of the agreement between the Socialists and ERC that facilitated Pedro Sánchez being named Spanish president following the November 2019 general election. 

The talks between the Catalan and Spanish governments are aimed at finding a resolution to the conflict surrounding the independence question. Before the pandemic began, one meeting took place between the two governments, in which they agreed to meet monthly, but these plans were soon scuppered by the health crisis. 

Since then, Catalonia’s previous president Quim Torra was barred from office, new elections were held, and Pere Aragonès was appointed the new president last week

The Spanish government has also seen major changes to its makeup since the first meeting, with Pablo Iglesias, the former leader of Podemos, the junior partner in the coalition in Madrid, stepping down from politics altogether following his party’s poor results in the recent Madrid regional elections. 

Nevertheless, both sides are committed to resuming the dialogue table, and Aragonès wants this to happen as soon as possible. 

However, before the meeting, he wants to meet with Pedro Sánchez, as well as various pro-independence entities and organizations to formalize an Agreement for Amnesty and Self-Determination. 

Additionally, Aragonès wants to meet with all former presidents of the Catalan government. 

In an interview with RAC1, he also said that his new government will have a spokesperson who will be a woman but will probably not be a minister.