Humza Yousaf meeting
Turkish President Recipp Tayyip Erdogan. (Image: PA) Get the latest Scottish politics news sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter More Newsletters Subscribe Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. More Newsletters We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show me See Our Privacy Notice See Our Privacy Notice × Group 28 Get the latest Scottish politics news sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign Up No thanks, close We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info × Group 28 Thank you for subscribing! We have more newsletters Show Me No thanks, close See our Privacy Notice Humza Yousaf has sparked a diplomatic row with the
UK Government after he met with the Turkish president at COP28. The First Minister was pictured speaking with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan while they both attended the UN climate conference in Dubai. The meeting prompted David Cameron - recently installed by Rishi Sunak as Foreign Secretary - to write to the Scottish Government to hit out over an alleged breach of protocol. The UK Government complained to Angus Robertson , the Scottish Government minister for external affairs, that it had not been given sufficient notice of the meeting. But a spokesman for Yousaf insisted a UK official was invited in advance of Yousaf speaking with the Turkish leader. Read More Related Articles Michelle Mone claims she has 'done nothing wrong' amid probe into £200m PPE deal Read More Related Articles Cops investigating missing SNP donations now examining purchase of £95k Jaguar
BBC Scotland shared a copy of the letter, which claims the Scottish Government had assured the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) that it would give "sufficient advance notice" of the meeting with Erdogan. "The absence of an FCDO official at this meeting contravenes the protocols in our guidance on FCDO support to devolved government ministers' overseas visits," the letter reads. "Any further breaches of the protocol of ministerial meetings have a FCDO official present will result in no further FCDO facilitation of meetings or logistical support. "We will also need to consider the presence of Scottish government offices in UK government posts." A source told the BBC that Foreign Office officials were not told where it would take place "until it was too late". The move "undermined UK foreign policy", they said. A UK Government spokesperson added: "Foreign affairs is reserved under the Scotland Act and in such turbulent times, the need for the UK to speak on the world stage with one consistent voice is more important than ever." A spokesperson for the First Minister said a UK official was aware of and invited to the meeting, and that the same arrangements were in place for Mr Yousaf's engagements with other world leaders. They added: "The nature of events such as COP is that timings can change at the last minute, and the FCDO representative was elsewhere at the time it was convenient for the Turkish president to meet. "Any threat by the UK government to curtail the Scottish Government's international engagement is misguided and would work against Scotland's interests." Scottish politics Scotland's last
Oil refinery to close Whisky distillers hail duty freeze Minimum wage to increase next year 'Send asylum seekers to Orkney', says MP A Scottish Government told the BBC that Cameron's letter was a "gross overreaction", adding: "You can hardly say to a president, 'Can you wait a second while we find our chaperone?'" The First Minister posted on
Twitter at the time that he had discussed the climate crisis and the Israel-Gaza conflict with Erdogan and the Lebanese prime minister during their meeting on December 1. To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here . Story Saved You can find this story in My Bookmarks. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Follow Daily Record
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