Puigdemont in Scotland to take part in diplomatic forum

Carles Puigdemont announced he was in Scotland on Friday evening in order to take part in the international diplomatic forum Beyond Borders, held this weekend in Edinburgh.

This is his first trip abroad since he returned to Belgium after a four-month stay in Germany, where he faced an extradition request from Spain.

After the German judiciary rejected the Spanish charges of rebellion against Puigdemont in July, Spain's Supreme Court withdrew the European arrest warrant against him. This enabled Puigdemont to return to Belgium in late July.

The Catalan former president sought refuge from the Spanish justice in Belgium last October after holding an independence referendum and promoting a declaration of independence, passed in Parliament on October 27, 2017.

"We resume the international activity in order to fight for the freedom of the Catalan Republic," said Puigdemont on his Twitter account.