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

Article published at Catalan News Agency, 9th May 2016

Photo: Former Scottish Prime Minister, Alex Salmond, during an interview with CNA

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”.

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