Pere Aragonès i Garcia, former Prime Minister of Catalonia, spoke about “The Catalonia–Spain Negotiations: Lessons from Asymmetric Conflicts” at the “International Conference on Peace and Democratic Society” organized by the DEM Party in Istanbul.
Referring to the conflicts between Catalonia and the Spanish government, Garcia said: “Catalonia fought for its identity and freedom. In the last century, it gained autonomy. This later led to certain reforms. In 2017, an independence referendum was held. The Spanish government suspended autonomy, and the crackdown began. Our government leaders were imprisoned and exiled. Judicial investigations were opened against many people. In 2019, the Spanish government court ruled that the leaders should not be released and imposed sentences. Then the protests began. However, in Spain, socialist parties launched a major protest in support of independence. We also began talks with them in November 2019. I want Catalonia’s full independence, but I know you want a solution too; I don’t know which will prevail. But ultimately, I believe we will reach a democratic outcome. A month later, an agreement was reached with the socialist party. The agreement stated that political conflict would be disregarded, negotiations would be accepted, and the final solution would be decided together with the Catalan people.”
Garcia noted that the process had halted due to the pandemic and negotiations had resumed after the pandemic, continuing: “First, we demanded the release of political prisoners and the decriminalization of certain offenses in the Spanish parliament. We wanted the Catalan language to be an official language, and this was finally accepted. And in 2024, we discussed the amnesty law. We cannot say that the amnesty has been fully implemented at this time. First, we demanded the release of the former president of Catalonia and other political prisoners. We also demanded constitutional reforms. The negotiation process requires a long-term vision. A centuries-old conflict cannot be resolved in a year. Finding the right words is important. No one wants to appear to be the loser in the negotiation process. If you belittle the other side as your target, you won’t make any progress. The most important thing is the contract you have with your people. The concepts of leadership and inclusivity are important. Leadership is very important; an opportunity comes your way, and that opportunity is only there for a very short time. For example, I saw a message from your leader a year ago; it was a message of leadership. It’s risky, but that’s what leadership is. At the end of the day, what we are trying to talk about in terms of an inclusive process is a democratic, peaceful Catalonia. Greetings from Catalonia to Kurdistan.”