Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has recommended that his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sánchez, "talk" as a way to solve the conflict with Catalonia. Asked in a press conference in Montreal alongside Sánchez whether he advised holding an independence referendum in Catalonia as happened in Quebec, Trudeau said that he recognises that it is an internal matter for Spain and that the two sides "have to talk".
"Catalonia is a delicate internal matter and I have confidence in the Spanish people and all different governments to move forward in a way that is respectful of freedom of expression, values, human rights, the rule of law and the Spanish Constitution," he said.
Pedro Sánchez agreed with the main thrust of Trudeau's remarks, saying they will solve "from politics something which is a political conflict". In this context, he was particularly positive about suggestions of future discussions about finances.
The Spanish PM said that there was a "lack of empathy" in conversations about Catalonia, but didn't discuss the possibility of allowing a referendum on self-determination. As before, he limited himself any referendum to self-government alone. He also repeated before Trudeau his theory that there is a political, but not a social majority in favour of independence.