Scotland’s External Affairs Minister Humza Yousaf will visit India next week to strengthen education, business, tourism, cultural and diplomatic ties.
Yousaf will depart on October 10 as the Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay starts its 288-day journey around all 71 nations and territories of the Commonwealth.
The Baton’s first destination will be New Delhi.
The Minister will undertake several business, cultural and diplomatic engagements during his six-day visit to New Delhi and Mumbai.
He will meet government representatives as well as existing and potential investors across a range of sectors. Yousaf will also promote Scotland as a place to study, visit, live, work and do business.
Yousaf yesterday met Indian students at the University of Strathclyde, some studying in Scotland through under his government’s Saltire Scholarship programme.
“Our relationship with India is very important to Scotland. As one of the world s fastest expanding economies and an important investor in Scotland – providing around 3,200 Scottish jobs – India is a major priority for our overseas engagement,” he said.
“Our links with India are already strong and this Government s ambition is to further strengthen our existing links by securing new inward investment, encouraging more students to enrol at our universities, and enticing more tourists to visit Scotland,” Yousaf added.
Scotland is gearing up for 2014 Commonwealth Games, with the government determined to capitalise on the economic opportunities of the event in order to leave a lasting legacy, Yousaf said.
“Next summer Glasgow takes centre stage and by capitalising on the excitement and momentum around the Games and through events such as the Queen s Baton Relay, we can showcase to the Commonwealth why Scotland is a great country in which to live, study, work, invest and also to visit,” he said.