The Spanish embassy to Iceland has mobilised for the official visit of the deputy speaker of the Catalan Parliament, Josep Costa (JxCat), to the country.

The embassy has "invited itself" to a meeting that Costa has scheduled for tomorrow with the speaker of the Alþingi, the Icelandic Parliament. The decision shows a continuation of the concern in Madrid over visits abroad by Catalan authorities, even as Pedro Sánchez's new Spanish government theoretically embarks on a new phase of relations with Catalonia.

"Here the Spanish embassy informs us that it's invited itself to the meeting we've got tomorrow with the speaker of the Parliament of Iceland", Costa wrote on Twitter, attaching a screenshot of the email he'd received from the embassy's deputy head of mission.

"I'll tell them it's a very undiplomatic gesture and that they're not welcome, but in any case they won't manage to silence our denunciation of the repression," Costa continued.

Aquí l’embaixada espanyola ens comunica que s’ha autoconvidat a la reunió que tenim demà amb el presient del Parlament d’Islàndia. Els diré que és un gest molt poc diplomàtic i que no són benvinguts, però en tot cas no aconseguiran silenciar la nostra denúncia de la repressió. pic.twitter.com/M346tQjI5z — Josep Costa🎗 (@josepcosta) January 16, 2020

The embassy's email says that they have "agreed with Icelandic authorities" for their chargé d'affaires to "take part in the institutional meetings planned both with the Speaker of the Icelandic Parliament and with the Director General of International Trade of the Foreign Affairs Ministry."