Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya and the Basque Country’s EH Bildu leaders met on Tuesday in Barcelona to deepen their strategic relations

The meeting at Esquerra Republicana’s headquarters was held in a constructive atmosphere, the result of the solid relations between both pro-sovereignty, progressive forces. Esquerra Republicana and EH Bildu have shared joint strategic action since 2019 with the aim of defending the interests of the Catalan and Basque peoples, as well as advancing in the construction of fairer and freer nations.

The parties analysed the complex international context, marked by war, imperialist attacks and the strengthening of a reactionary wave that threatens the future of our nations.

The meeting was chaired by Esquerra Republicana leader Oriol Junqueras and EH Bildu Secretary General Arnaldo Otegi. They were joined by Esquerra Republicana Secretary General Elisenda Alamany, and Deputy Secretary General Oriol López, as well as EH Bildu Organisation Secretary Sonia Jacinto and their Secretary for Political Relations Gorka Elejabarrieta.

The meeting took place this week, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the referendum in which both the Basque and Catalan people voted overwhelmingly against joining NATO. During the meeting, both parties expressed their concern about the international situation and agreed that it was time to firmly and courageously commit to peace, the sovereignty of peoples and respect for international law.

In this regard, they warned that the trend for militarism and warmongering fostered by certain actors will have direct consequences on the living conditions of the people, and they recalled that wars are always paid for by the working classes. For this reason, Esquerra Republicana and EH Bildu have defended diplomacy, negotiation, and accords as the best way to guarantee peace, and have committed to continuing to work in this direction.

In this context, joint action between Esquerra Republicana and EH Bildu involves defending the rights of our respective nations and promoting a plurinational state model that will overcome the yoke of the regime imposed by Spain’s 1978 constitution on the path to our full sovereignty. This objective implies the unequivocal recognition of Catalonia and Euskal Herria as nations, as well as the recognition of Catalan and Basque as official languages in all walks of life.