Holyrood hails Biden over his EU stance
The Scottish Government has said it welcomes comments from US presidentelect Joe Biden about the UK retaining close ties with Europe after Brexit.
SN PMS P Christine Grahame asked the Scottish Government’s minister for Europe and International Development whether she believed the election of Mr Biden gave Scotland an ally in its hop es to rejoin the European Union after any potential victory for independence in a future referendum.
In response, Jenny Gilruth acknowledged the significant links between Scotland and the US including a large diaspo-ra, and said much of Mr Biden’s policies align with that of Scotland.
She said: "Our countries have a bright future working together with president- elect Bid en and the first woman vice- president Kamala Harris. Many of our policies, including our support for fairness, equality and a strong rules-based international system, closely align with those set out by the Biden administration during the recent election campaign.”
When asked about whether Mr Biden would be anally to an independent Scotland, Ms Gilruth welcomed comments from Mr Bide non the importance of maintaining the integrity of the Good Friday Agreement in any Brexit deal with the EU. She said: “The Scottish Government welcomes the comments made by presidentelect Biden on Europe, in particular his emphasis on the value of the UK maintaining a close relationship with Europe and the necessity of abiding by the principles of the Good Friday Agreement. We look forward to working with the new administration.”