Jimmy Carter on Catalonia: 'Unique culture and language will be admired for next 1,000 years'

Jimmy Carter, the former president of the United States, died aged 100 on Sunday in Georgia, US.

Born James Earl Carter Jr. in Plains, Georgia, he was a Democratic senator and governor in his home state before being elected to serve as the 39th president of the US from 1977 to 1981. 

After suffering a landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election, he founded the Carter Center along with his wife Rosalynn, to promote and expand human rights, earning him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 and the 2010 Catalonia International Prize (Premi Internacional Catalunya), awarded by the Catalan government. 

"A man of heart and courage" 

The Nobel Peace Prize for "undertaking peace negotiations, campaigning for human rights, and working for social welfare," came at a time when one of his successors as US president, George W. Bush, was planning war in Iraq. 

Carter's peacebuilding initiatives were also commended by the 2010 Catalonia International Prize jury who described him as "a man of heart and courage," whose career has been dedicated to "defending peace and human rights around the world, as well as fighting to improve the conditions of the most disadvantaged peoples." 

The jury also praised his "actions of great courage" as president, and "his later work, especially through the Carter Center, which works in cooperation and aid to poor countries." 

Catalonia, "for the next thousand years"

In Barcelona in July 2010, at a press conference before receiving the Catalonia International Prize, Carter told media he was aware of the recent decision by Spain's Constitutional Court to make several key amendments to Catalonia’s Statute of Autonomy, which prompted the beginning of Catalonia's push for independence in the 2010s.

In fact, the former US president drew parallels with the Supreme Court of his own country, which he said had "made some very erroneous decisions concerning the financing of political campaigns, concerning the possession of weapons in my country and other issues."

His advice for Catalans? "Patience."

"My only advice would be that the Catalonian people have to be patient and realise that no matter what the courts rule, it is very likely that we’ll still see the unique character of Catalonian social and economic and cultural and political life – and language – perpetuated and admired for the next thousand years."

The Constitutional Court ruling – seen by many as the spark that lit the fuse for the mass pro-independence movement in the years since – was, Carter said, "a temporary aberration in the decision of the relationship between Catalnia and the rest of Spain."

He also told Catalans to have "confidence that there’s no way that a court can modify dramatically or in a derogatory way the basic culture and commitment and heritage of the Catalonian people."

Catalan-US links 

Later that evening, in a warm acceptance speech, Carter said it was evident from the list of previous prize winners that "the people of Catalonia identify closely with the causes of peace and human rights." 

The prize was "a vote of confidence" in the work of the Carter Center, he said, before thanking his hosts in Catalan: "De tot cor, moltes gràcies!" (With all my heart, thank you very much!). 

The former US president also highlighted the parallels he saw between Catalonia and his home country: welcoming immigrants, an entrepreneurial spirit, a shared tragic anniversary in September 11. 

"We both absorb foreigners in our societies and value and appreciate the cultures that they bring to us," he said. 

He praised Catalonia for opening international offices around the world to promote trade and investment, something he had done for Georgia during his time as state governor. 

Regarding September 11, "a horrible day for my country in 2001," Carter said he was told it was "even worse for Catalonia in 1714."  

"But our peoples are resilient, and we know how to recover our strength and face the future with courage," he added. 

Figueres and Cardona

Carter's 2010 trip to Catalonia was not strictly business only. The day after receiving his award he traveled north to the city of Figueres, the birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí.

At the Dalí Theatre-Museum Carter and his wife Rosalynn were treated to a guided tour for an hour and a half. At one point Carter produced a $5 bill featuring Abraham Lincoln, so he could compare the former president's likeness with a version painted by Dalí.

During his acceptance speech, the former US president also spoke fondly of travelling with his family to Catalonia, including "a trip to Cardona, where we visited its fortress and castle, explored its salt mountain, and saw its first charter that was signed in the 10th century by Barcelona’s Count Borrell II." 

Independence referendum 

In the lead-up to the 2017 independence referendum, which went ahead despite being banned by Spain, Catalan president Carles Puigdemont met with the former US leader in the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. 

The Catalan government was "not asking for anything,” Puigdemont said later, "but rather is responding to an invitation,” a reciprocal visit after Carter's 2010 visit to Catalonia. 

The Carter Center issued a statement that said "neither Carter nor The Carter Center could be involved" in negotiations about a referendum. 

Puigdemont said he was aware of attempts from the Spanish government to block the meeting with Carter, and at the time the Catalan government also accused their Spanish counterparts of putting pressure on the US Embassy to make a statement on Catalan independence. 

Following the Spanish police's heavy-handed response to the referendum, The Elders, an independent group of global leaders of which Carter was a member, expressed their "deep concern at the recent violent confrontation."