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Deputy First Minister of Scotland (2004–2014)
First Minister of Scotland (2014–2023)
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Nicola Sturgeon served as the fifth first minister of Scotland from 18 November 2014 until her resignation on 28 March 2023 attended visits internationally to promote Scotland and its economy, encourage inward investment, attend global summits as well as meet with other heads of governments. During her tenure, Sturgeon conducted in a total of thirty-five international visits.
| # | Country | Areas visited | Dates | Details [1] [2] [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  USA | New York City | June 7–11, 2015 | The First Minister attended the Ground Zero 9/11 Memorial site in New York, also appearing on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Morning Joe . In Washington D.C., Sturgeon met with deputy secretary of the US Department of Education, John B. King Jr. In a separate meeting, Sturgeon met with Dr Katie Wilson, deputy under secretary for food, nutrition and consumer services. Other engagements including a meeting with Antony Blinken, the deputy secretary of state, Department of State. Sturgeon gave a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations. |
| 2 |  Belgium | June 29, 16 | Sturgeon held a series of meetings in Belgium in relation to Scotland's place in Europe in the aftermath of the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum in which Scotland voted to remain within the European Union (EU) but the United Kingdom as a whole voted to leave. |
| # | Country | Areas visited | Dates | Details [1] [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |  France | June 30, 2016 – July 1 | Sturgeon attended The National Commemorative event in France to mark the Centenary of the Battle of the Somme - The National Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Thiepval Memorial | |
| 4 |  Germany | Berlin | August 9, 2016 | Sturgeon travelled to Berlin in Germany to engage in a number of ministerial meetings. |
| 5 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | August 19, 2016 – August 22 | The First Minister travelled to Srebrenica, Sarajevo for a number of government discussions and meetings. | |
| 6 |  Iceland | October 6, 2016 – October 8 | Sturgeon attended a meeting of the Arctic Circle in which Scotland was invited to attend as a result of its geographical proximity to the Nordic countries | |
| 7 |  Ireland | Dublin | October 28, 2016 – October 29 | Sturgeon visited the Republic of Ireland on an official visit to Dublin. |
| # | Country | Areas visited | Dates | Details [1] [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | USA | April 2, 2017 – April 8 | Trade and investment trip to USA | |
| 9 | France | April 9, 2017 – April 10 | Battle of Arras Commemoration Ceremonies | |
| 10 | Belgium | July 13, 2017 | Brexit discussions | |
| 11 |  Netherlands | July 19, 2017 – July 20 | Visit to the Netherlands and also attended the Women's European Championships 2017, Scotland v England | |
| 12 | Ireland | October 5, 2017–October 6 | Government meetings in Dublin | |
| 13 | Iceland | October 12, 2017–October 14 | Attended the Arctic Circle | |
| 14 | Belgium | October 13, 2017 | Government discussions with Belgian government officials | |
| 15 | Germany | Bonn | November 14, 2017–16 November | 2017 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Bonn |
| # | Country | Areas visited | Dates | Details [1] [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 |  China | April 8, 2018–13 April | Official government visit to China, promoting Scotland as a place of investment and business. | |
| 17 | Belgium | 27 May 2018-28 May | Government discussions in Belgium with representatives from the Belgian government. | |
| 18 | Germany | 25 June 2018-26 June | Official visit to Germany | |
| 19 | France | 8 August 2018 | Centenary of the Battle of Amiens | |
| 20 |  Poland | 30 October 2018 | Holocaust Educational Trust - School Visit to Auschwitz | |
| 21 | Poland | Kraków | 3 December 2018-5 December | Ministerial visit to Kraków |
| # | Country | Areas visited | Dates | Details [1] [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | USA  Canada | 3 February 2019-8 February | Promoting Scottish links with the United States and Canada, as well as promoting and developing the working relations between the governments of the United States and Canada. | |
| 23 | France | 18 February 2019-19 February | Promoting Scottish links with France, and relations between the Scottish Government and French Government | |
| 24 | Ireland | Dublin | 26 May 2019-27 May | Meetings with the Government of Ireland |
| 25 | France | Bayeux Nice | 5 June 2019-10 June | Attended the 70th Anniversary of D-Day Landings in Bayeux and the Women's World Cup Match – Scotland vs England in Nice |
| 26 | Belgium | Brussels | 10 June 2019-11 June | Meetings with officials from the Belgian government |
| 27 | Germany | 17 September 2019-18 September | Official visit to Germany | |
| 28 | Ireland | Dublin | 14 November 2019-15 November | Official visit to Ireland |
| # | Country | Areas visited | Dates | Details [1] [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 |  Norway | 7 January 2020-8 January | Official ministerial visit to Norway | |
| 30 | Belgium | 9 February 2020-10 February | Official ministerial visit to Belgium, engaged with government officials from the Belgian government. |
| # | Country | Areas visited | Dates | Details [1] [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Iceland | 14 October 2021-16 October | Attended the Arctic Circle Assembly |
| # | Country | Areas visited | Dates | Details [1] [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | USA | 14 May 2022-18 May | Official visit to the United States, meeting with representatives from the United States Government and American based business to promote Scotland for international investment | |
| 33 |  Italy | 20 June 2022-22 June | Attended the Global Women Leaders Summit | |
| 34 |  Denmark | Copenhagen | 25 August 2022-27 August | Ministerial visit |
| 35 |  Egypt | Sharm El Sheikh | 5 November 2022-9 November | Attended the COP27 summit with other world leaders |
The Scottish National Party is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 62 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons. It has 453 local councillors of the 1,227 available. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom and for Scotland's membership in the European Union, with a platform based on progressive social policies and civic nationalism. Founded in 1934 with the amalgamation of the National Party of Scotland and the Scottish Party, the party has had continuous parliamentary representation in Westminster since Winnie Ewing won the 1967 Hamilton by-election.
Scottish independence is the idea of Scotland regaining its independence and once again becoming a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom. The term Scottish independence refers to the political movement that is campaigning to bring it about.
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Nicola Sturgeon formed the third Sturgeon government following her Scottish National Party's victory in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. Sturgeon was nominated by a vote of the 6th Scottish Parliament for appointment to the post of First Minister on 18 May 2021 and announced the formation of a new Scottish National Party minority government on 19 May.
The International relations of Scotland conducted by the Scottish Government seek to promote Scotland and Scottish interests overseas by promoting its culture, education and research, economy and promote Scotland as a place for trade and business. As of 2023, Scotland has a total of nine Scottish Government offices in Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, London, Ottawa, Paris and Washington D.C.. The Scottish Government plan on opening a further office in Warsaw by the end of the current parliamentary term.
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