France refused to accept the results of the Catalan independence vote on October, 1 and urges both sides to operate within the framework of the Spanish constitution.

Axar.az reports citing Sputnik that, Earlier it was reported that France had refused to accept Catalonia's declaration of independence and considers the conflict to be a Spanish internal affair.

"The solution to the crisis should be based on the Spanish constitution, and respect its' legitimacy," a French Foreign Ministry official Agnes Romantet-Espagne stated regarding the briefing.

On Tuesday, Catalan President Carles Puigdemont declared that sovereignty is the only form of maintaining self-governance for Catalonia. Puigdemont emphasized that during the referendum millions of Catalans gave their mandate for living in a sovereign republic state.

What regards the independence vote, on October 1, more than 90 percent of Catalans voted for sovereignty in a referendum which the Spanish government declared illegitimate. Spain's King Felipe VI described the vote as an attempt to "break the unity of Spain and national sovereignty, which is the right of all the Spanish people to decide democratically." Madrid did not recognize the legitimacy of the vote, sending police to Catalonia to shut down polling stations, which resulted in clashes with voters. The European Commission referred to the matter as an internal issue between Madrid and Barcelona.

As for the EU reaction towards the referendum, on Wednesday, EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis called for an end to the dispute over the vote in Spain, urging respect for the Spanish constitutional order. Previously, EU officials had labeled the tensions triggered by the referendum an internal affair of Spain.

Moreover, French government spokesman Christophe Castaner also called for the discussions within the framework of the Spanish constitution.

"It is not France, that should interfere in the Spanish internal affairs," he added.