Commonwealth countries should not be worried by the prospect of Scottish independence, according to Alex Salmond.
Scotland's First Minister said most of the 71 countries and territories had already gone through the same process as he argued that inward investors had not been deterred by the September referendum.
Mr Salmond made the comments at the Commonwealth Games Business Conference in Glasgow as he told the 400 delegates that he had a "self-denying ordnance" not to debate politics during the Games, which open on Wednesday.
Asked if Commonwealth countries should be worried about the prospect of an independent Scotland, Mr Salmond said: "I don't think that, given the vast majority of the 71 countries and territories represented here of course went through the process of becoming independent - I don't think that will be a real worry for people coming from that background."
He continued: "Some people, two or three years ago, argued that the prospect of having an independence referendum would deter investment in Scotland.
"They said even the prospect of a referendum would be really bad for investment. Things could not have gone better as far as inward investment is concerned."
Mr Salmond said recent figures showed the Scottish economy had grown beyond pre-recession levels while the country's profile has never been higher on the global stage, thanks to sporting, cultural and political events.
"Scotland is in the news for all sorts of reasons - we've got the Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup, the Homecoming year, the referendum. Scotland has never had a higher profile," he said.
The conference, hosted jointly by the Scottish and UK Governments and their enterprise agencies, is aimed at providing a platform for businesses from across the Commonwealth to meet and create new partnerships.
Mr Salmond used his speech at the Glasgow University event to highlight the strength of inward investment into Scotland, stating that it had created and safeguarded more than 7,400 jobs.
"Scotland has never had a higher profile on the international stage," he said.
"That's great news for jobs and investment here in Scotland, as these figures demonstrate today.
"More than 7,400 jobs have been created and safeguarded in the last year thanks to inward investment, 6,161 jobs have been created or safeguarded as a result of regional selective assistance and the value of research and development projects - a particular priority - has almost doubled to £200 million.
"We know that inward investment is already at a 16-year high and international visits to Scotland increased by 13% last year. We hope to build on that success."
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