SENIOR politicians from Europe’s Green parties are expected to get behind Scotland’s goal of remaining in the EU when they arrive in Glasgow for a major conference later this week.

Nicola Sturgeon is due to give a keynote speech at the 25th council meeting of the European Green Party which is being hosted by the Scottish Greens and runs from Thursday to Saturday.

The meeting will be the country’s largest pro-European event since the June referendum in which Scots voted by 62 per cent to stay in the bloc though the whole of the UK voted narrowly to leave.

One German MEP who is due to attend has said he wants to help Scotland retain “full membership in the European family”.

Reinhard Bütikofer, MEP and EGP co-chairman said: “European Greens are coming to Glasgow in order to show our solidarity with the determination of the Scottish people to resist Brexit and to hold on to Scottish full membership in the European family.”

Scottish Greens co-convener Patrick Harvie MSP said the event will demonstrate the size of the party’s “extensive network” across Europe as well as the Greens’ commitment to working with “other political parties” to campaign for Scotland to stay in Europe.

“The Scottish Greens and our wider movement in the European Green Party are playing a leading role in the campaign to maintain Scotland’s place in Europe,” he said.

“We recognise the need to work with other political parties, campaign groups and individuals who want the referendum result in Scotland, where an overwhelming number of people voted to Remain, to be respected.

“As Greens, we have an extensive network of politicians and campaigners across the continent who share our goal of staying in Europe that we can tap in to and we look forward to hearing from them in Glasgow.”

“Instead of merely commenting from the side lines, and accepting that Scotland should be dragged out of the European Union, we invite other like-minded parties to join us in offering solutions to the uncertainty being caused by Brexit.”

Harvie has said a new vote on independence offers the “most realistic option” to protect Scotland’s partnership with the European Union.

He has welcomed the government’s draft referendum Bill and said Theresa May would be “foolish” to block it.

“The Westminster government’s inability to acknowledge the overwhelming mandate for Remain in Scotland, or demonstrate any kind of flexibility the Union could take in the individual UK nations’ forging relations with Europe, shows that independence is quickly becoming the most realistic option for Scotland to shape its own partnership with the European Union,” he said last month.

Scottish Greens have seen a resurgence in their influence since they campaigned alongside the SNP and wider independence movement for a Yes vote in 2014.

Its membership has increased from 1700 to 9000 and in May this year trebled its number of MSPs, gaining six seats to put it one ahead of the Liberal Democrats.

The First Minister is due to speak on Friday.