Crown of Aragon

Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, the head of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), has been awarded the Spanish Order of Civil Merit with degree of Encomienda at the behest of King Felipe VI of Spain, in recognition of his valuable work toward strengthening relations between Turkey and Spain.

The Bulgarian Consulate in Barcelona will open on August 1st, the BNR reports, referring to Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva. By decision of the government, the activities of the new consulate will cover the Autonomous Communities of Catalonia and Aragon.

The Council of Ministers has made a decision to open a consulate of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Kingdom of Spain, headed by a consul, with a seat in the city of Barcelona and a consular district covering the territory of the autonomous communities of Catalonia and Aragon, said the government press office.

Steps have been taken to open a consulate in Barcelona. This is announced by Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva in a written response to a question by MP BSP Manol Genov.

Spain’s King Felipe VI in a Christmas speech on Dec. 24 urged Catalan lawmakers to respect their region’s diversity and avoid another confrontation over independence.

Hundreds of thousands of supporters of a unified Spain filled Barcelona's streets on Sunday in one of the biggest shows of force yet by the so-called silent majority that has watched as regional political leaders push for Catalan independence.

The Catalan parliament on Friday afternoon declared the region's independence from Spain. Members of this parliament decided in a secret ballot - boycotted by the opposition.

The Catalan parliament voted to launch a constitutional separation process from Spain with 70 votes in favor, 10 against and 2 invalid - according to the Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.

Catalans voted Sept. 27 in an election dubbed crucial for the future of Spain, with polls pointing to a win by separatists who vow to declare the region independent by 2017.

Spain's prime minister warned on Sept.22 of the risks surrounding Catalonia's secessionist campaign, saying there were serious questions over pensions and bank deposits, and the right to Spanish citizenship could be threatened.

European royal families attended a memorial service in memory of Prince Kardam, the eldest son of Bulgaria's Last King and former Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.