A NEW report has called on ministers to champion investment in arts and culture by the public and private sectors.

The British Council ­document published said governments should do this as a means of creating social and economic benefit, to reduce inequality and build trust between countries.

It coincides with yesterday's start of the two-day Edinburgh International Culture Summit at the ­Scottish Parliament.

The report argues that culture is able to bring people together from ­intellectually or culturally disparate groups and build trust and dialogue between them.

It also suggests that culture provides a powerful means to engage people in issues they may otherwise fail to see or choose to ignore.

Lloyd Anderson, director of British Council Scotland, said: "The British Council has always believed in every country the exchange of culture is all the more important when political relationships are fraught.

"It is important we maintain the people-to-people, museum-to-museum, gallery-to-gallery, and theatre-to-theatre cultural contact. The emotional links created by culture can be as powerful as shorter term political or economic alliances; culture binds in ways which transcend money and politics."