Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the Scottish First Minister to invite a foreign head of government to a meeting where no official of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is present.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Following a meeting between the Scottish First Minister and the Turkish President, which took place without an FCDO official being present, the Foreign Secretary wrote to Scottish Cabinet Secretary Robertson. He made it clear that the Scottish Government must respect the relevant protocols for the overseas visits of devolved Government Ministers, for continued FCDO facilitation. We remain open to discussing a constructive way forward, but the UK's foreign policy must be communicated consistently and coherently to our international partners.