Spanish premier calls for unity, progress ahead of Catalonia elections

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday delivered a message of unity and progress as elections approach in the country's Catalonia region.

"We see these elections in Catalonia as an opportunity to open a new scenario in Catalonia that looks more towards the future," Sanchez told reporters at a European Council Summit in Brussels.

He also stressed the importance of overcoming the divisions of the past, while urging people in Catalonia and the rest of Spain, to embrace this opportunity for "renewal and prosperity."

"We are all aware that a divided Catalonia does not advance. Catalonia will advance united. And for that, an integrative project is needed, which without reproach, without resentment, without grudges, bets on coexistence and the progress of Catalonia," Sanchez noted.

The Spanish premier also addressed other critical issues related to the European Council meeting, emphasizing Madrid's support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, efforts in the EU to strengthen its defense capabilities, and the crisis in the Middle East.

Sanchez highlighted the importance of "unified European support for Ukraine," while challenges persist.

He stressed the need for a clear message of "solidarity" to the Ukrainian people, advocating for respect for "national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Ukraine needs "certain, stable and sustainable support," Sanchez stressed.

- European defense

Sanchez also reaffirmed the importance his country gave to enhancing Europe's "deterrence capacity and defense industry."

He underscored the significance of collective action in responding to common challenges, citing previous cooperation during the pandemic and surges in energy prices.

"I believe it is very important to be aware that both health care, energy, climate policies, digital transformation, and security are public goods — European public goods — that require both national financing and European contribution."

- Gaza

On Israel's ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip, Sanchez voiced support for a cease-fire and enough humanitarian aid to address the situation in the enclave that experts have said is on the verge of catastrophe.

"The need for a cease-fire, the need to open the doors to humanitarian aid that must be proportional to the humanitarian tragedy, to the emergency, to the humanitarian catastrophe that Gaza is suffering.

"The need also to recognize the contribution, not only to development but also to the stability of the region, not only of Gaza but of such an important agency in the UN system as UNRWA," he said.

He also called for a "peace conference" to move towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, which Spain has long backed.

- EU enlargement

Sanchez also said that Spain, during discussions at the European Council, touched upon matters including the Capital Markets Union, an EU initiative launched in 2015 to further integrate capital markets among member states, and the bloc's expansion.

He said Spanish officials reiterated the country's support for enlargement, emphasizing the need for solidarity and integration in the Western Balkans.

"Spain's position is firm, it is public, it is known. We are a country favorable to enlargement," he said, stressing that the Western Balkan nation of Bosnia and Herzegovina needs the bloc's support and empathy to "be able to address and advance in the reforms that allow it to join the European Union along with others — Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova — and all the Western Balkans together."

"When we talk about Ukraine, we talk about the Middle East, we talk about security, we talk about defense. We are talking about very relevant debates that affect us in our daily lives because security, and deterrence capacity also for a peace project such as the European one, is fundamental because that is how we will be able to defend this space of democracy, rights, and freedoms," he said.