Esquerra’s leader Oriol Junqueras and MEP Jordi Solé are to meet Sinn Féin leaders in the midst of the ongoing negotiations between Catalonia and Spain, with the Good Friday Agreement one of the international references

The president of Esquerra Republicana Oriol Junqueras will travel next week to the Republic and the North of Ireland to meet historical Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and other party officials with the aim of sharing experiences in political conflict resolution, especially in the negotiations regarding the Irish conflict that gave rise to the Good Friday Agreement.

In the midst of negotiations with the Spanish government to resolve the political conflict between Catalonia and the State, Mr Junqueras and the Deputy Secretary General for International Relations and MEP Jordi Solé are there to strengthen bonds with Sinn Féin, a European ally and one of the actors who have also lent a hand in the negotiation process fostered in recent years by Esquerra Republicana.

Esquerra considers that the Good Friday Agreement is one of the leading international examples of processes for resolving political conflicts through democratic means, from which the resolution of the political conflict between Catalonia and the Spanish State may draw lessons, together with other experiences such as those of Quebec and the Scottish referendum.

Cork, Dublin and Belfast

On Monday, 23 October, Mr Junqueras will travel to the city of Cork, where he will hold the first political meetings with Sinn Féin before travelling to the capital, Dublin, where on Tuesday he will meet Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald and the party’s Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Matt Carthy.

Oriol Junqueras and Jordi Solé will subsequently visit Belfast in the North of Ireland, where on Wednesday they will meet with Sinn Féin’s lead spokesperson Declan Kearney and Belfast Mayor Ryan Murphy. On Thursday, they are to meet the historical leader of Sinn Féin, Gerry Adams, and the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Alex Maskey. Together, they will all continue to foster the ongoing cooperation and collaboration between Esquerra Republicana and Sinn Féin.