Scotland's First Minister invited to visit Catalonia by Catalan President

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon met with Catalan President Quim Torra in Scotland last month. At the meeting she accepted an invitation to go to Catalonia, the autonomous community in the northeastern corner of the Iberian Peninsula. Scottish National Party MP's (members of parliament) have backed Catalonia’s right to hold an independence referendum. Scotland's First Minister was critical of the Madrid government’s brutal approach to blocking the Catalan government from staging a vote on leaving the Spanish state last year. The Barcelona visit was confirmed by a spokeswoman for the Catalan government, who said there were hopes to fix a date after the summer recess in Catalonia.

Quim Torra, is a member of the Parliament of Catalonia, a supporter of Catalan indpendence and is the current President of the Government of Catalonia. His predecessor, Carles Puigdemont, is one of several Catalan politicians who remain in exile following last year's Spanish suppression of the Catalan independence referendum. This includes Clara Ponsati, who was Head of the School of Economics and Finance at the University of St Andrews, before being seconded to serve with the Catalan government. She now remains in exile in Scotland, but was arrested in March after the Spanish authorities issued a warrant seeking her extradition. There was huge support in Scotland for Clara Ponsati and the Spanish dropped the extradition request, although she still faces arrest if she returns to Spain.

The Scottish and Catalan independence movements have enjoyed close links in recent years. The flag of Catalonia has been prominently displayed in pro-Scottish independence demonstrations. Clara Ponsati was given a standing ovation when she spoke at the SNP conference in June of this year. The Catalan President also met with her when he visited Scotland.