MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Spain’s northeastern region of Catalonia seeks independence because of its historical and linguistic heritage, not for financial reasons, the delegate of the Government of Catalonia in France and Switzerland told Sputnik France Tuesday.
"Our aspiration for independence has nothing to do with economics. We want independence because we are a European nation with a thousand-year history, we have our own language," Marti Anglada stated.
Catalonia is one of the most economically advanced regions of Spain, generating a quarter of Spanish tax revenue. Catalans have long accused the Spanish government of constraining the region’s economic, linguistic and cultural autonomy.
On November 9, 2014, over 80 percent of Catalan voters supported secession from Spain in an informal vote on independence for the region. However, a majority of the region’s voters did not take part in the vote.
In late September, Catalonia will hold regional elections. The Together for Yes coalition of local pro-independence parties has pledged regional autonomy from Spain if it wins the vote.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has repeatedly refuted Catalonia’s right to secede.
