ANGUS Robertson stood up for the "professionalism" of Scotland's overseas offices after the Tories accused the Government of "misusing" them to promote independence across the world.
The Constitution Secretary was asked to give an update on the work of overseas offices by Tory MSP Alexander Burnett in the Holyrood chamber on Thursday.
Burnett then went on to suggest they were being "misused" to "pursue a distinct foreign policy from the rest of the UK" and to discuss independence "with foreign governments at the taxpayers' expense".
The Scottish Government has a network of eight offices across the world in places including Berlin, Dublin, Brussels, and Paris, which promote Scottish interests and strengthen Scotland's relationship with other countries and continents.
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Robertson said Burnett was "undermining" the work of staff at the offices and suggested he should visit them if he hasn't already.
He said: "Can I just say to Alexander Burnett, I think he would actually benefit from visiting the offices. I don’t know if he’s been to any and I don’t know if he’s spoken to the staff in the offices.
"They are highly professional representatives of Scotland. They benefit the economy, they benefit in terms of inward investment, they promote the culture of Scotland, they promote Scotland's relations with the rest of the world.
"They do a tremendous job. If I as cabinet secretary or other ministers hold conversations with others, of course we discuss the policy of the Government, that’s what we’ve been elected to do.
"Please don’t undermine the professionalism of Scottish Government offices around the world, it really isn't worthy."
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