Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I absolutely agree that dialogue is required and that neither violence nor unilateralism is required. Contacts will be made at official level and, when the opportunity is appropriate, I will certainly discuss the matter with the Prime Minister, Mr. Rajoy. I have not yet had the chance to meet him on a one-to-one basis, but we have attended summits together, although he was not at the summit in Tallinn, presumably in anticipation of events that were unfolding in Catalonia.

There have been referendums on independence held in other countries and we are all familiar with the referendum in the United Kingdom on Scottish independence and the referendum in Canada on independence for Quebec. On both occasions the referendums happened in accordance with the law of the state. The referendum held in Scotland occurred under the laws of the United Kingdom, while the referendum held in Quebec occurred under the laws of Canada. The referendum in this instance was different in that it did not happen under Spanish law or within the constitutional legal framework of Spain. As a member state of the European Union, we respect the law, the constitution and the territorial integrity of Spain as another member state. If there is to be a referendum held in the future, as was the case in Scotland and Quebec, it should happen within the legal and constitutional framework of the country. Were that to happen, I imagine there would be a very high turnout and it would be considered to be democratically legitimate.

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