Granting Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont political asylum in Belgium is "not unrealistic", the Belgian migration minister has said.

The Spain government sacked Mr Puigdemont and dismissed the region's parliament on Friday hours after members voted to declare Catalonia an independent nation.

Mr Puigdemont himself faces arrest on charges of "rebellion" over the independence referendum, which has been declared illegal by Spanish courts.

:: 'Reality sinking in' for Catalonia, Spain minister warns

Theo Francken, Belgium migration minister, told broadcaster VTM: "It is not unrealistic if you look at the situation.


"They are already talking about a prison sentence. The question is to what extent he would get a fair trial."

He stressed the Belgium had not made any kind of approach, adding: "I'm not rolling out the welcome mat."

Belgium is one of the few EU member states where EU citizens can ask for political asylum.

Catalonia: What happens next?

The country saw relations with Spain sour in the 1990s and 2000s when it refused to extradite a Spanish couple wanted over alleged involvement with the Basque militant group ETA.

There is no indication Mr Puigdemont was hoping to travel to Belgium.

:: Scars, cars and cigars: Profile of Puigdemont and Rajoy

On Sunday, disputed Catalan deputy prime minister Oriol Junqueras insisted Mr Puigdemont "is and will remain" the president of the regional government.

Rejecting a "coup d'etat" by Madrid, he told El Punt Avui newspaper: "The president of the country is and will remain Carles Puigdemont."

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's deputy, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, was put in charge on administering the autonomous region on Saturday.