Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Tuesday he would meet Catalonia's new separatist leader Quim Torra although he warned there would never be an independent Catalan republic as desired by the regional president.

"I will meet with the regional president if he asks me... I am available to talk," Rajoy told reporters in Sofia -- where he held talks with his Bulgarian counterpart -- after Torra asked him for a meeting, but he added there will not be independence.