Devolution has ensured Scotland is a "distinct political community within Europe", according to Fiona Hyslop.
At a reception at Scotland House in Brussels on Tuesday to mark the 20th anniversary of devolution, the External Affairs Secretary will meet newly elected MEPs and EU officials including First Vice-President of the European Parliament Mairead McGuinness.
In a speech, Ms Hyslop will outline Scotland's commitment to working with European partners and emphasise the Scottish Government's preference for the country to remain part of the EU.
Ms Hyslop is expected to say: "Devolution has transformed politics in Scotland.
READ MORE: Scottish festivals face ‘severe Brexit difficulties’, Fiona Hyslop warns
"It has ensured beyond any doubt that Scotland is a distinct political community within Europe.
"This is undoubtedly a pivotal period for the EU. It is also a critical time for Scotland.
"Decisions taken over the next few months will impact on us all for years to come."
She will add: "I want to assure you that we are as committed now, as we were 20 years ago, to building and co-operating together.
"We will keep welcoming our European friends to celebrate and work with us.
"From many research projects such as the pioneering renewables initiatives on Orkney, to major infrastructure schemes on the Western Isles, Scotland has benefited massively from working with European partners, as well as contributing our world-leading expertise and innovation."
Scottish Tory MSP Maurice Golden, however, claimed that Ms Hyslop's trip to Brussels is only intended to boost support for Scottish independence.
"Once again we have a senior member of the SNP taking needless trips to Brussels to talk up independence," said Mr Golden.
READ MORE: Thanks to Outlander, Scottish tourism continues to boom
"Their motives are totally transparent, and this is yet another excuse for them to try and drive up division between Scotland and the rest of the UK.
"Rather than wasting time and taxpayers' money on these excursions, they should be concentrating on their governance of Scotland.
"Given the issues facing our public services, it's unforgivable that the SNP are still prioritising independence above all else."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel