Lothian MSP Gordon Lindhurst has told us about
the recent visit made by MSPs to Bavaria.
Lindhurst was part of a delegation of three Convener MSPs who accompanied the Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh to Germany following an invitation from the Bavarian State Parliament President, Barbara Stamm. The Lothian MSP is Convener of the Economy Jobs and Fair Work committee in the Scottish Parliament.
The visit, included meetings with members of the Bavarian Landtag, including Dr Beate Merk, Bavarian Minister for European Affairs and International Relations.
Bavarian officials visited the Scottish Parliament in 2015, and a joint economic declaration was signed between the Scottish and Bavarian Governments in March 2017.
Germany is consistently one of the top five export destinations for Scottish exports, valued at £1.8 billion in 2015. The MSPs used the trip to strengthen the ties that already exist between Scotland and Bavaria.
Speaking after his return to Scotland, Lindhurst said : “It was a great opportunity to represent the Lothian region and indeed Scotland itself alongside the Presiding Officer and my parliamentary colleagues. It was a particular pleasure to be in Munich which was the first city to be twinned with Edinburgh.
“Although the United Kingdom is going through the process of leaving the European Union, we are not leaving Europe, and we want to maintain the trade links that have been established over many years. The Bavarian people want this too.
“I am confident that we can continue our good relationships across Europe, which go back over many centuries. We had some very encouraging talks with our counterparts in Germany and there is clearly a lot of good will on both sides.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
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