Scotland - Foreign Relations
As the government of an independent country, the primary purpose of international engagement would be the promotion and protection of Scotland’s national interests. Scotland has always been an outward facing nation, exporting goods, people and ideas around the world and welcoming ideas and people from other countries into our national culture. The Scottish Government’s ambition for an independent Scotland has deep internationalist roots and is based on a firm belief that, as an independent country, Scotland will have a distinct and valuable contribution to make to world affairs. Scotland will be a committed and active participant in the global community of nations.
In the conduct of international affairs no country operates in isolation. The global and regional context creates the conditions and defines the range of choices and options that each state must address. Globalisation enables not only the greater movement of goods, people and ideas, but also the transmission of threats across borders, presenting an evershifting set of challenges and opportunities. In particular, demand for resources will increase over the next 20 years putting Scotland, a country with abundant fresh water, major oil and gas supplies and the potential to become a renewable energy powerhouse, at the forefront of global discussions.
An independent Scotland would be no different from any other independent country. Governments plan and act to ensure that their societies can capitalise on opportunities while adapting to face longer-term challenges, and reacting to more acute threats and emergencies, whether natural or man-made. An independent Scotland will perform these functions.
An independent Scotland’s foreign, security and defence policies would be grounded in a clear framework of participation in rules-based international co-operation to secure shared interests. Scotland will be an active member of global institutions and will be party to fair and reciprocal agreements which respect human rights. Scotland will also be an active participant in international development, in line with the UN Millennium Development Goals and other relevant international agreements. Given Scotland’s place in the western world and a history of friendship with a broad range of other nations, Scotland's interests will largely coincide with many others in the international community. It is therefore in Scotland’s national interest to be a member of multilateral institutions alongside partners and friends with common interests and to co-operate with other nations in pursuit of common concerns and promotion of common values.
An independent Scotland will have a firm commitment to international partnership and co-operation, not only in these Isles, but also in the EU and other international organisations, to secure shared interests and protect Scotland’s people and resources.
Countries of comparable size to Scotland take lead roles in international organisations. Sweden, New Zealand, Switzerland and Finland have all made significant global contributions to security, peace and reconciliation initiatives: New Zealand, for example, played a key role in the Oslo Process that banned cluster bombs and similar weapons. These nations capitalise on their soft power and build coalitions – normally informal and related to specific issues – to advance their objectives. The effectiveness of a coalition lies less in the sheer numbers involved and more in their ability to develop strong and sound arguments for negotiations.
This Government intends that Scotland will also seek a closer relationship with the Nordic Council of Ministers. Scotland has key shared interests with our geographical neighbors in the North Atlantic, such as Iceland and Norway, and a common interest in the Arctic and High North.
There are inherent advantages in being a smaller, well-governed, independent state in a rapidly-changing world, with the ability to respond to developments and with the scale to bring national institutions and civic society together quickly if need be. By focusing diplomatic efforts flexibly on key national priorities, Scotland will not require the same scale of diplomatic service as the UK currently maintains.
Following a vote for independence Scotland will declare and notify our intention to assume responsibility for the UK’s multilateral and bilateral treaties, where it is in Scotland’s interest to do so. The Scottish Government expects that other parties to these treaties will welcome Scotland’s intention to sign up to, and continue, these obligations. The UK itself has shown how entire treaty issues with newly independent states can be readily and speedily resolved. On the day of independence of the Czech Republic and Slovakia (1 January 1993) the UK wrote to both countries stating that the UK would regard all the bilateral UK – Czechoslovakia treaties as now continuing between the UK and the Czech Republic on the one hand and the UK and Slovakia on the other, with the substantive treaty provisions continuing to operate with both successor states as they had done previously with the predecessor state.
Scotland would be entitled to a fair share of the UK’s extensive overseas properties (or a share of their value) allowing use of existing premises for some overseas posts. For example, the Foreign Office owns or leases almost 5,000 properties overseas. The estimated value of this estate is around £1.9 billion. Based on a population share (the actual share will be a matter for negotiation) Scotland would be entitled to around £150 million allowing us to establish ourselves quickly and for little initial cost in our priority countries. This provides the opportunity to design our overseas footprint based not on an imperial past or a desire for global power, but on what works for Scotland in the modern world. That means Scotland can choose to put investment into practical advantages for the people of Scotland rather than the UK’s priorities.
An independent Scotland will establish a network of overseas embassies and consulates to represent Scotland’s interests internationally. It is estimated that the running costs of an initial proposed network of 70 to 90 overseas missions will be £90-120 million. This is expected to be below Scotland’s population share of the UK’s total expenditure on overseas representation in 2016/17, giving opportunities for savings. Scotland would also be entitled to a fair share of the UK’s assets.
Part of being a good global citizen is a commitment to international development. In line with the target recognised by the United Nations as long ago as 1970, an independent Scotland plans to spend 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income on Official Development Assistance, and to enshrine it as a binding, statutory commitment.
Scotland is already part of a Common Travel Area (CTA) with the rest of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, which dates back to the 1920s. An independent Scotland would remain part of the CTA which means that there will be no border controls, and residents would not need a passport to travel to other parts of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
There are no circumstances in which the Scottish Government would countenance any measure being taken that jeopardized the ability of citizens across the rest of the UK and Ireland to move freely across our borders as they are presently able to do. It is for this reason that following independence Scotland will remain part of the Common Travel Area (CTA), which dates back to the 1920s.
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