Culture Secretary visits Dublin today

The Culture and External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop is in Dublin today to meet the new Irish Foreign Affairs Minister.  A cabinet reshuffle took place after the election of the new Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last month.

Ms Hyslop said: “Scotland and Ireland already have a strong and long-standing relationship and we want to develop economic, diplomatic and cultural links with our neighbour. We want to make more of the relationship between Scotland, its cities and regions, and those of Ireland – this isn’t just about Edinburgh and Dublin.

“The Scottish Government views Ireland as a key partner within the EU 27 – but it is also important that despite the forthcoming negotiations, relations between our countries do not become too narrowly defined by Brexit.

“While our academic and culture sectors are already collaborating well together, there is potential in the agricultural sector and areas like Ireland’s growing financial services sector. It’s important that we build on this potential and deepen economic ties between the two nations.”

The Cabinet Secretary will undertake a series of cultural site visits, where successful collaborations are taking place with the input of Scottish expertise. She will also host a business breakfast with a range of sector leaders spanning tourism, energy, food and agriculture, finance and the sciences.