Diplomatic scuffle: Spain accuses Sweden of interference over visit by Catalan Foreign Minister

Last weekend, the Catalan government’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Raul Romeva, made an official visit to Sweden, stirring diplomatic tension between Spain and Sweden. Spain’s ambassador to Sweden, Javier Jiménez-Ugarte, acknowledged to the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter that he had attempted to boycott the conference that Romeva gave at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, in which the president of the Swedish parliament’s European Affairs commission, Carl Schlyter, also participated. The Swedish government, however, ignored the ambassador’s request to speak at the event.

The newspaper quoted Jiménez-Ugarte as saying that ‘Sweden is meddling in Spain’s internal affairs’. In the diplomatic arena, such an accusation is regarded as serious.

The Spanish government, far from denying the statements of its ambassador to Sweden, has openly admitted them. Spain’s acting Foreign Minister, José Manuel Garcia Margallo, stated that it is ‘absolutely true’ that his government is using its resources and foreign ministry contacts to help stop Catalonia’s independence drive.

Romeva arrived in Sweden last Sunday and remained in the country until Tuesday; he had an intense agenda during his visit, which included interviews with several newspapers and television stations, a luncheon with editors, a lecture at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, and a working session with experts and officials in the Swedish government and parliament.

Although this is not the first time that the Spanish government has attempted to boycott a Catalan event abroad, it is the first time it has admitted to it. It is also the first time that it has targeted and questioned the role of the host country after a visit by Catalan officials.