NICOLA Sturgeon has said Scotland will be at the “centre of international attention” in 2020 in her New Year message.

The First Minister highlighted the UN climate change summit in Glasgow in November as a key date for the year ahead, which she said would give Scotland the chance to show it is leading by example.

Addressing the UK’s scheduled exit from the EU in January, the SNP leader sought to reassure EU citizens and said the Scottish Government would work towards giving people the opportunity to “determine Scotland’s future”.

“As we celebrate the start of 2020 and a new decade, we look forward to a year in which Scotland will be at the centre of international attention,” she said.

“In November, the United Nations climate change summit in Glasgow will attract more than 30,000 people from around the world.

“Hopefully that summit will lead to progress in tackling the most important issue that the world faces.”

In his own New Year message, Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw spoke of his optimism the UK can move on from a “decade of division”.

“The first thing to say is to speak directly to European citizens living in Scotland and the UK,” he said.

“We may be leaving the institutions of the European Union at the end of the month but the UK and Europe remain united by our shared continent. This is your home and we want you to stay.”

In his message, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: “New Year is a time for reflection and it’s also a time for resolve.

“So we should resolve, this New Year, and in this coming decade to build a better society, one which is free from poverty and inequality. Where we don’t walk by on the other side.”