Catalan President Artur Mas meets with several think tanks and investors in New York

Barcelona (ACN).- The President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, met on Wednesday with several think tanks and financial investors based in New York City, where he is paying an official visit. Mas stated that through holding the meetings he wants to "clarify doubts, provide them with information, take responsibility, explain Catalonia's advantages and virtues, and, obviously, explain the political process we are facing, in which many places throughout the world and particularly a city like New York I know are interested". In the evening, he will hold a conference at the University of Columbia with the title 'Catalonia at the crossroads'.

The conference is today's "main event", he said, but he also organised meetings with people from think tanks because they "create opinion". Mas admitted that Catalonia's independence from Spain creates "uncertainties" and hence there’s a reason to discuss such uncertainties and clarify doubts. The Catalan president highlighted that the American people understand well the concepts of self-determination and democracy, because "they are their sons and daughters".

Mas also visited the New York offices of the Catalan Government's Delegation in the United States, which host services to promote Catalonia's tourist industry, assist companies in reaching the American market, attract investments from American companies and organisations, and foster cultural exchange and knowledge of Catalan language and culture.

The Catalan President "will contact people related to think tanks, people who produce intellectual content, who create opinion". In addition, he will also meet "with financial investors, who follow us every day and are more or less worried – depending on the day – about how Europe is developing, about how Spain is developing,  and about how we are developing within the Spanish and European context", he said. On this occasion, Mas does not have scheduled interviews with leading media outlets, but he will meet with "communication groups", he disclosed. 

In his meetings and at the conference, Mas will stress Catalonia's financial viability in case of independence, pointing out that the Catalan economy and population is comparable to that of Austria, Denmark and Portugal. Mas will also highlight that an independent Catalan State could face public debt, using the money from the fiscal deficit it currently has with the rest of Spain (which accounts for some 8% of Catalonia's GDP each year). According to Mas, such information "calms down" financial markets, investors and academics.