PARIS, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- France will not recognize Catalonia if it unilaterally declared independence, which it described as "illegal," the country's foreign ministry said Wednesday.
"Any unilateral declaration of independence by the Catalan authorities would be illegal and couldn't in any case be recognized," the ministry said.
Expressing concerns about the situation in the Spanish region, the ministry stressed "any solution to this internal crisis must be found within the Spanish constitutional framework."
On Tuesday, Carles Puigdemont, president of the regional government of Catalonia, suspended independence declaration and called for talks with Spanish government.
Earlier this month, Spain's northern region of Catalonia, which has its own language and is led by a regional government, held a referendum over independence that Madrid said it was illegal.
