Spain's foreign affairs minister, Alfonso Dastis, has this Monday admitted that president Carles Puigdemont's international activities "are causing certain discomfort". The minister wanted to play down the president's actions abroad which he described as a "travelling circus" and said that the government's concern is "not excessive".
"For the moment we see it in perspective", said Dastis in a press conference after taking part in a Council of Ministers meeting in Brussels.
Spain's highest-ranking diplomat said that Puigdemont "is not being received by anybody who considers him an important figure" and that the Spanish executive will not undertake actions which could "create difficulties with other countries" whilst there is no international arrest warrant against him.
Dastis's comments came in response to questions from journalists about Puigdemont's trip to Geneva, where, this Sunday, he took part in a debate at the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH), and today he attended a debate on the "regression" of human rights in Spain.
"One enters the bodies of the UN with a certain ease and I'm unaware of the activity he's carried out", said the minister, who added that he took no steps to avoid it.
"Mr Puigdemont has the wish to remain outside of Spain in a kind of self-induced banishment and can dedicate himself to the activities he wants to. We want him to fulfil his obligations and return to Spain, but if he doesn't, nor do we consider this a goal above all others," he said.