The Scottish Affairs Office in Washington DC exists to promote Scotland's interests in the United States and Canada.
The USA is Scotland's biggest overseas trading partner; our largest inward investor and a hugely valuable tourism market. US students account for the second largest overseas group in Scotland and links between Scottish schools, colleges and universities and their counterparts in the USA are developing all the time.
Canada also has a special significance for Scotland and represents a major export and tourism market. The strong and enduring historical links between our two countries ensure that there is no other country in the world where the Scottish Diaspora is so prevalent or so well defined, not least in Nova Scotia (New Scotland).
Both the US and Canada are therefore vital to Scotland's prosperity in the years and decades ahead.
Strengthening Scottish engagement in the US and Canada will depend on the combined efforts of public and private organisations and individuals on both sides of the Atlantic. Our trade and investment agency, Scottish Development International and our tourism agency, VisitScotland, both have significant roles to play in helping develop these markets and contribute to increasing Scotland's economic growth.
The role of the Scottish Affairs Office is to help co-ordinate and inform the contributions of organisations and individuals in strengthening Scotland's relations in North America.
Our aim is promote Scotland, not only as a country that has contributed much to the US and Canada in the past, but as a modern ambitious nation with an important role to play in our increasingly connected world.
I hope that you find the time to browse through our site and discover something new about Scotland and our work here is the USA. If you have comments or suggestions on any aspect of our work and how we can take it forward we would be delighted to hear from you.
Robin Naysmith
Scottish Government Counsellor for North America