BARCELONA, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- A political row has erupted over the opening of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona following the announcement of the Ada Colau, the Mayor of the city and Roger Torrent, the Speaker of the Catalan regional government that they will boycott the official event reception with King Felipe VI on Sunday.
Speaking on radio station RTVE, Spanish government sources criticized the decision as "unjust," "mean-spirited" and "sectarian", adding it could put the future of Barcelona as the venue for the event in jeopardy, despite the Jan. 31 announcement from the association of mobile phone operators (GSMA) that the MWC would remain in Barcelona until at least 2023.
"The King's presence in Barcelona symbolized the support of the Crown and Spain as a whole for the MWC and consequently for the development of the Catalan economy," commented the government.
Colau has said that although she will not be at the reception, she will be at the official opening ceremony for the MWC on Monday morning, although Torrent confirmed he will attend neither.
Following the Catalan independence referendum on Oct. 1, 2017, which was declared illegal by the Spanish Constitutional Court, King Felipe VI made a speech to the nation on which he accused the Catalan regional government of "inadmissible disloyalty."
The 2018 edition of the MWC is expected to welcome an estimated 108,000 visitors with 2,300 exhibitors and 170 international delegations, create 13,000 temporary jobs and have an estimated economic impact of around 471 million euros. (579 million U.S. dollars)
