Alister Jack St Andrew鈥檚 Day Paris trade trip
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack travelled to Paris this week on a two-day trip to promote Scottish trade with France.
皇冠体育app Secretary of State met UK and French businesses, as well as France鈥檚 trade minister, diplomatic staff and parliamentarians. He visited Chanel to see how they have used tweed and other Scottish materials throughout their history, including in their latest range. And he jointly hosted a St Andrew鈥檚 night dinner with the British Ambassador to France, Dame Menna Rawlings.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:
Scotland and France have historic and enduring links, and St Andrew鈥檚 Day is the perfect time to celebrate and strengthen those ties.
A fantastic example of that relationship is the 100-year-old creative partnership between Paris鈥� Chanel fashion house and Scotland鈥檚 beautiful tweed, and it was fascinating to hear more about that.
皇冠体育app UK and France are important trade partners, and we must build on that. 皇冠体育app French market is worth billions to Scottish businesses, with huge potential to grow. While in Paris I was hard at work promoting Scottish businesses, as the UK Government does every day, right around the world.
Total trade in goods and services [exports plus imports] between the UK and France is worth 拢78.3 billion a year. Scotland鈥檚 exports to France are worth nearly 拢3 billion a year, ranging from whisky to renewable energy expertise. 皇冠体育app Secretary of State hosted a lunch for French businesses representing these sectors, as well as meeting the French Government鈥檚 International Trade Minister, Olivier Becht.
皇冠体育app UK Government has one of the world鈥檚 largest diplomatic networks in the world. It is committed to promoting Scottish interests across foreign policy, security, defence, international trade, investment, culture, education and the arts - as well as providing vital consular assistance.