"Apart from this agreement, it is also time to tackle the financial crisis. A time to search actively for economic stability, for certainty.  Spain cannot afford early elections. And neither can the Basque. And current events further increase the value of the agreement. Today may not be the right moment, but I ask you to continue to think deeply about the issues raised in this area," he added.

Urkullu stressed that this is "a time for peace. A time for this self-styled Izquierda Abertzale (Basque Nationalist Left), that is so critical for us, to take the steps that must be taken.  They should not  entangled us in their web again or in their contorted speeches. They should not try to drag  the PNV and others into their camp. They have to accept the approach that has been reiterated over the last three years: There is a whole world to be constructed if they would only "break away" from terror".

The Basque Nationalist chairman also stressed that "we are again facing a new horizon today, as we were after Franco's dictatorship. And it is again up to us to lead a new project for the Basque Country of the future. And when it comes to the future, I am going to refer to the situation of Catalonia. As you know, it is now seeking an "economic agreement" to consolidate its future as a nation. And what are we saying in the Basque Country? That the Economic Agreement and the Agreement in Navarra, which we now consider to be so important and such a benefit for our future, is merely the "remains of sovereignty" that the Basque Country retained after the regional charters were abolished in 1876.  That was only true in the case of Araba and Navarra, as Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa were considered to be "traitor provinces". The Basque and Navarra economic agreements are just some of the historical rights that this People have held throughout history. And that is where the future of the Basque Country lies. Our future needs the Basque uniqueness to be accepted once and for all. No LOAPAs (Autonomous Process Harmonisation Legislation), nor "a free for all". The Basque Country is a nation, with its history, its social fabric, its institutions, its own rights, its culture and its own character".

Urkullu ended by stressing that "our future lies in the updating of the Historical Rights, which need to be brought in line with Europe of the 21st century and an open and global world. Our future is in our hands. Nobody in democracy must decide for us. Nobody is going to supplant the authority that we have been granted by the decisions that we freely and democratically adopt. Yet again: We are a nation".