“ The ( German ) federal government does not recognise such an independence declaration, ” spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement posted on Twitter .
“ The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Spain are and always will be inviolable , ” he added .
“ We hope that those involved will use all available opportunities for dialogue and de-escalation. ”
The political crisis in Spain escalated sharply after Catalan lawmakers voted to declare independence and Madrid in turn vowed to “ restore legality” and quash the region’ s secessionist bid.
Seibert’ s comments echoed those of EU President Donald Tusk who called for calm and said that Madrid remained the bloc’ s “ only interlocutor” .
The European Union and its member states have stood firmly behind Madrid in the standoff triggered by Catalonia ’ s hotly contested October 1 referendum on splitting from Spain.
Seibert said the German government was following the latest developments “ with concern” .
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