Salvador Illa thanks the Extremaduran people for the "decisive contribution" in the construction of Catalonia

La Zarza/MéridaSalvador Illa has traveled to Extremadura to celebrate the Catalan National Day, seeking to extol the fraternity between the two territories and to vindicate the role of Extremadurans in the construction of Catalonia. The President of the Generalitat has lamented the years of the 'Procés'—in which "some spoke about others," but "some did not speak with others"—and has proclaimed the return of a "solidary" Catalonia that is favorable to understanding with Spain. However, the eternal tensions between the Principality and the rest of the State have surfaced again, and in statements to the media, Illa has criticized the opposition of the vast majority of autonomous communities to the new financing, including that of the Junta of Extremadura, governed by the PP and Vox.

Unlike the frequent visits to Madrid—where the president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and he avoid each other—in Extremadura there was an institutional reception and a photograph with the Popular Party's María Guardiola, although they skipped the joint press conference. The Junta's communication team preferred not to let reporters into the room where they met for about three-quarters of an hour to ensure that no statement that could spoil the visit would slip out. The President of the Generalitat, as he himself recalled, has come to Extremadura to strengthen "bonds" and not to break them. "Thank you, Catalonia owes you a lot," Illa insisted to the Extremaduran immigrants.

Even so, before greeting Guardiola, the Extremaduran press had already asked Illa if the meeting would serve to discuss the new financing model. "What we are proposing does not harm anyone, it benefits everyone," the Catalan president replied. "[Those who criticize it] would do well to look at the accounts and the concrete numbers to see that it benefits us all," he added immediately after. It was not the main topic, but sources consulted by ARA confirm that financing was discussed. In a statement, the Government limited itself to explaining that a "climate of cordiality and institutional collaboration" reigned at the meeting. "The president has highlighted the bonds of Catalonia with Extremadura, and the interest in keeping these bonds alive," they insist from the Palau de la Generalitat.

In turn, Guardiola thanked Illa in a tweet for his "kindness" and gesture, but asserted that she opposes the financing model and has the "goal" of preventing a new wave of migration from "repeating." "We need a system that takes into account the true cost of providing fundamental services in Extremadura. We want a united and cohesive Spain," tweeted the president of the Junta of Extremadura.

Tribute to the Extremaduran emigrant

The visit began in the town of La Zarza (Badajoz), where Illa met with the mayor, the socialist Francisco José Farrona, and visited the sculpture of The Emigrant, which is a tribute to the Extremadurans who had to leave, especially to Catalonia. It was from this locality that the PSC leader claimed the "bonds" between Catalans and Extremadurans, and assured that the immigrants from Extremadura have made a "decisive contribution" to the construction of the country. "This is what we have come to recognize and thank," Illa indicated.

In turn, the mayor of La Zarza celebrated the visit of the "president of an autonomous community" to the town and asserted that "the Catalonia we know is, in large part, the fault of the Extremadurans." In the same vein as the president, Farrona celebrated that the "times of dialogue" between Spain and Catalonia have returned, and that the stage in which "they did not speak to one another, but rather about one another" has been overcome. "Long live Spain, long live Catalonia, long live Extremadura and Long live La Zarza, and may all these cheers endure," concluded the Extremaduran mayor.