Catalan and Spanish presidents to meet in Barcelona on Thursday

The Catalan and Spanish presidents will meet on Thursday afternoon in Barcelona, according to the Spanish vice president, Carmen Calvo.

The meeting could take place at 6pm in the Pedralbes Palace, the former residence of the Spanish royal family in the city, Catalan government sources told ACN.

Spanish president Pedro Sánchez and his ministers will hold an extraordinary cabinet meeting in Barcelona on Friday, in a visit embroiled in controversy, with some pro-independence leaders calling it a provocation.

Major pro-independence groups have called for demonstrations to protest against the presence of the Spanish government in Barcelona.

Catalan president Quim Torra requested a summit between both governments, and Madrid initially opened the door to a "mini-summit" of the executives, but Calvo eventually ruled it out and confirmed that Torra and Sánchez would meet alone.

Sánchez’s second-in-command is expected to hold a separate meeting with her Catalan counterpart, vice president Pere Aragonès. Yet, Calvo stressed "there would be no meeting of both governments," thus ensuring that the presidents’ encounter cannot be interpreted as a concession to pro-independence parties.