Puigdemont to do face to face radio show with Salmond on official trip to London

London (CNA).- Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, will do a ‘face-to-face’ radio show with former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond during the President’s official trip to London. The interview, which will be broadcast during ‘El Balcó’, a programme from Cadena SER radio, will be one of the President’s programmed events from the 11^th to the 13^th of May while in the British capital. On the 12^th, he will give the talk ‘Mapping a Path Towards Catalan Independence’ at London’s Chatham House, one of the most important think tanks in the world. The trip, from Wednesday to Friday, also includes meetings and contacts in the financial district of the city, along with an interview with the BBC. London will be Puigdemont’s second official trip abroad, after visiting Belgium in the beginning of May.

Having visited Flanders from the 30^th of April to the 2^nd of May, the Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, will arrive in the British capital this week, on his second official trip abroad. On Wednesday afternoon, Puigdemont will meet with former Scottish First Minister and Scotland’s pro-independence party SNP’s former leader, Alex Salmond. They will be interviewed together for the radio programme ‘El Balcó’ in a face-to-face programme for the radio station SER Catalunya. Later, Puigdemont will meet with the president of the Catalan association in the UK, Marina Falcó, and other members of the Catalan community residing in the UK.

On Thursday, the 12^th of May, the Catalan President will give a talk at Chatham House, one of the most important think tanks in the world. Under the title ‘Mapping a Path Towards Catalan Independence’, Puigdemont “will discuss the social, political and economic drivers” of the pro-independence movement, as well as “how the process can advance in the face of the Spanish Constitutional Court rulings” which have repeatedly considered it “unlawful” and also in view of Madrid’s “refusal to engage in dialogue on the subject”, specified the think tank. He will also explore the implications for Catalonia, for Spain and for the EU should the region secede.

He will also “outline his government’s timeline for increased autonomy and, ultimately, independence”.

Puigdemont will be greeted by Chatham House director Robin Niblett, along with the Secretary General of the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (Diplocat), Albert Royo, who organised the event. During the conference, presented by the Deputy Director of the European Institute of the University College of London (UCL), Uta Staiger, the President of Catalonia will explain the Catalan government's projects to achieve their own sovereign state.

That same day, Puigdemont will be interviewed by BBC. Lastly, on Friday, he will visit the new facilities of Banc de Sabadell, in the financial heart of London. There, he will attend several meetings with business groups.

During his trip to London, Carles Puigdemont will be accompanied by the Catalan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Raül Romeva, and the Delegate of the Catalan Government to the United Kingdom and Ireland, Josep Suárez. Romeva was already in London on the 27^th of April, when he met with representatives of most of the parties in Westminster.

Puigdemont’s second official trip

Puigdemont’s first official trip abroad was two weeks ago in Belgium but it was set to be in Paris on the 21^st of March. However, it had to be cancelled at the last minute due to the tragic bus accident in Freginals, in the south of Catalonia, where 13 Erasmus students were killed.

The Catalan President was to give a lecture at the renowned political science university ‘Sciences Po’, presented by the ex-Prime Minister of Italy and dean of the Paris School of International Affairs, Enrico Letta. Sciences Po and the Government of Catalonia are now looking for a new date, probably in September.