We now move to a statement by the Minister for Internal Relations and the Welsh Language on the international strategy, and I call on the Minister to make the statement—Eluned Morgan.

Thank you, Llywydd. In just over two weeks' time, the United Kingdom will be leaving the European Union. This will fundamentally change the relationship that we have had with our closest neighbours for 40 years—a relationship that has brought positive benefits for Wales in almost all spheres of life. But this is not a statement about Brexit, not about its fact or its form; this is a statement about our place in the world. It may be true to say that we are leaving the European Union, but we are not turning our backs on the EU or the world. We are determined to go on being an outward-looking nation; a nation ready to work and trade with the world; and a globally responsible nation committed to playing our part in combating some of the most challenging issues facing the international community. This, Llywydd, is the very reason why the Government is launching its first international strategy.

Since devolution, Wales has been making its mark on the international stage. We have developed partnerships with countries and regions around the world. We've exchanged ideas about minority languages and technology with the Basque Country and with Ireland. We've planted 10 million trees in Uganda as part of our ongoing work with African countries. And Wales was there at the very beginning when the global Under2 Coalition was founded, and this was the kick start on climate action under the Paris agreement.

We are duty bound to work with other nations around the world for all of our benefits. This is a principle that is central to our identity as a nation. We are proud to host many people who have left their own nations and have made their homes here in Wales. There is no doubt that their contributions enrich our nation in so many different ways. Our award-winning goods and services are exported all over the world, and given that we're a small nation of just three million people we have excelled on the world stage—in the arts and creative industries without forgetting sport, of course. Our heritage, our culture and our breathtaking natural beauty continue to attract tourists from all parts of the world.

As Wales's first Minister for international relations, I thought it was important to bring the achievements of the last 20 years together, and use those as a foundation to set Wales's course in international work for the future, particularly in the shifting political and social climate created by Brexit. Over the last year, we have worked with almost 600 partners and stakeholders to identify our priorities for the years ahead. Welsh Government has an important role in leading this agenda, but it is only through working together that we will be able to amplify our voice around the world.

Our international partners in the UK Government, in voluntary organisations and in other Welsh organisations have already said that they are willing and eager to work with us, and they’ve welcomed the fact that we have developed a cohesive strategy that is ambitious and that will underpin their work, too.

The strategy has three core ambitions over the next five years: to raise Wales’s profile internationally, to grow our economy and to establish Wales as a globally responsible nation. At the heart of the strategy is a recognition that Wales is a modern and vibrant country—a place that fosters talent, that is sustainable, creative and technologically advanced. 

Our people, of course, are our biggest asset, whether here in Wales or overseas. People will be key to driving the success of this strategy. We will nurture the relationships that we have developed over the last 20 years, and we’ll develop new relationships in new emerging markets.

We'll develop a new, ambitious approach to reach out to our diaspora and our alumni networks. We know that culture, sport and our expertise in minority languages development will help set us apart from other nations. Last year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan was a wonderful example of how Wales can sell itself on the world stage, building on the success of sport to promote Wales and Welsh business opportunities to a wider audience. The Wales dome in the heart of Tokyo brought sport, a large trading mission, cultural performances and a 360-degree immersive experience of Wales, together with our award-winning food and drink sector, in an effort to promote our country in Japan.

We'll grow our economy by putting more energy and money into unlocking the immense potential in Wales and in Welsh companies to export more to established and to new emerging markets. That will help to support jobs and communities at home.

Competition for inward investment will be challenging once we're outside the European Union, but we're undeterred. We'll draw attention to Wales by demonstrating how we are world leaders in three key sectors. The sectors we've chosen underline our prowess in the fields of sustainability, technology and creativity. They have significant scope for growth and are in keeping with the growth deals and the economic action plan. And they should not be too adversely affected by the impact of Brexit. These sectors are: cyber security, compound semiconductors and the creative industries, in particular film and TV. It's important for me to emphasise that these do not preclude investments from other sectors and they send out the message that Wales has a skilled workforce and is open for business.

Our ambition to establish Wales as a globally responsible nation encompasses both environmental and social priorities. Our approach to decarbonisation and tackling the climate emergency is set out through ambitions to become a world leader in recycling and support for renewable energy as well as the promotion of sustainable tourism. My commitment to expand the flagship Wales for Africa programme—now renamed 'Wales and Africa'—embraces a community-led approach that is mutually beneficial. I want to share our expertise in minority language development with other countries and learn from others in this field.

Llywydd, it's important that we promote the message that Wales is, and will continue to be, a European nation. Our relationship with the EU and its organisations will inevitably change over the coming months and years, but we want to continue working with our European partners wherever possible. We have long-established and strong relationships with many European countries and regions, and Europe remains our most important export market.

This strategy sets out which will be the priority countries and regions we aim to focus to promote Wales in. Values are at the heart of this strategy. We will shout loudly and proudly about how we were the first and are still the only nation in the world to have transposed the UN sustainability goals into law.

There's been much discussion about values and human rights through the development of this strategy, and I've welcomed this challenge. I want Wales to be known as a welcoming nation, as a nation of sanctuary, as a fair nation, promoting fair work, fair trade and fair play. We'll ensure that the world knows that it was Wales that inspired the NHS, and we still hold true to its core values.  

The international strategy is our guide in a challenging and changing world. Relationships constantly change, economies fluctuate, and priorities move on, but we'll hold true to our values, whatever comes our way. We'll engage with the UK Government to secure the best possible trading conditions for Wales that will be key to our economic success in the future. Wales is a small country with big ambitions, and this strategy will help to put Wales on the international map. Diolch.

Can I thank the Minister for an advanced copy of her statement and congratulate her on the production of the international strategy? It's been 21 years since the advent of devolution and I think it's very important that Wales reaches out beyond its borders into those countries overseas where we have strong relationships and where there are opportunities to develop new relationships. I just think it's a matter of regret that it's taken such a long time to get to this position where we actually have a strategy before us. Can I also welcome the tone of the Minister's statement too? It's refreshingly different from the statement that we received last week on international trade.

There's much that we can welcome on this side of the Chamber in the international strategy. I think it's absolutely right that there's a deliberate attempt by the Welsh Government to strengthen the presence of the Welsh Government overseas post Brexit. I think it's absolutely right that there are some very key and core ambitions that flow through the whole of the document. And I think it's right that we are attempting to get the Government focused on delivering centres of excellence around those three particular sectors that you referred to: cyber security, compound semiconductors and the creative industries. Because I think when we've got strengths, we must play to them, and we can certainly do more to capitalise on those and, indeed, to capitalise on our expertise in securing the future of Welsh as a very important official language, but nevertheless a minority language. So, can I congratulate you on all of those things, Minister, before I turn to some questions? 

One of the things that you have indicated in the document, and you referred to it briefly in your statement, is the importance of sporting events as opportunities to engage internationally. Of course, we did see some success in helping to harness the opportunities that were presented by the Rugby World Cup. We have the European championships coming up this summer, and I wonder if you could tell us a little bit more about your plans to harness the opportunities that that also presents.

You referred, towards the end of your statement, as well, to the importance of human rights to us all here in Wales, on all sides of the Chamber in this National Assembly, and I would concur with your comments on those, but, of course, there's very little reference in the document to human rights. I think it's just mentioned five times, and it's very difficult to see how you're going to realise presenting Wales as a beacon of human rights. Now, you will recall that I presented a—. I was very fortunate to be drawn in the legislative ballot to bring some backbench legislation forward, and I chose to introduce an older people's rights Bill. Of course, the Welsh Government voted down the opportunity to take that Bill forward and instead said that it was going to do some more cross-cutting work on human rights. We're yet to receive an update on that and, of course, we're fast approaching the end of this Assembly and the opportunity to legislate in this Assembly. So, perhaps you could tell us how your commitment to human rights and the Welsh Government's commitment to human rights lines up with what appears to be a lack of action in taking anything forward.

You mentioned also the importance of the diaspora, and you're quite right, where we have individuals who are overseas, they can help us to fly the flag for us here back home. But I was surprised at the lack of specific reference in the document to the importance of faith communities and the diaspora and the opportunity and the networks that faith communities are very often plugged in to. You will know, Minister, as well as I do, that Christian congregations, Muslim communities and others across Wales have a plethora of links to communities overseas. In many cases, Christian communities are trying to champion international development opportunities in many developing nations, and, of course, many Muslim communities are first-generation immigrants to this country and have links directly to families in their own nations. I just wonder whether that's a missed opportunity, really, in this strategy, and whether you might be able to do a little bit more work on that going forward.

There are a number of key sectors in the document. One of them that you mentioned is tourism, and the importance of tourism to the Welsh economy, of course, has not gone unnoticed by you in this document. You mention adventure tourism, for example, being a growth industry. Of course, faith tourism is also a significant growth industry, and we've got a great network of pilgrims' ways across Wales and some wonderful sacred historical buildings that we have an opportunity to, again, help to promote a little bit more. So, I think that, potentially, is a missed opportunity too, and perhaps you could tell us whether that's something you're prepared to pick up outside of this strategy in terms of being able to benefit our tourism part of the economy and sector.

Of course, one of the problems that that sector may face in the future is the potential advent of tourism taxes because of policy positions of your Government. I wonder if you could tell us how and whether that fits into your thinking.

You mentioned the overseas network of offices—quite right that you've opened some new offices this year, and you've mentioned in previous statements your intention to do more. But, obviously, it's also important that they're accountable to this National Assembly and that there's a direct line of accountability back. I wonder if you could tell us how you're going to measure the success of those offices and their productivity, or otherwise.

In addition to that, of course, foreign direct investment—you've mentioned the United States is the biggest area or nation in terms of foreign direct investment into Wales. Of course, some of the comments from the Welsh Government around the Trump administration won't help to grease any wheels in order to get more foreign direct investment into the country and, again, perhaps you could tell us how you're going to change the narrative around that in order to have a warmer relationship going forward.

Just finally, if I may, we've championed on this side of the house the opportunities that we could have if we had a more team Wales approach on a cross-party basis, in order to promote this great nation in which we live. One of the things that I took note of in your document is that you do actually say that you want to, as a Welsh Government, invest in opportunities for the National Assembly and Members, on what appears to be on a cross-party basis, to engage internationally in networks. I think that's very, very welcome indeed. We'd like to see that formalised a little bit more through the establishment of a network of envoys on behalf of Wales. We reach far and wide when we work together, and with the proper resources we could really capitalise on the opportunities that that presents. So, perhaps you could tell us whether that is something that you might like to formalise in that sort of way, so that we can all move together as team Wales in terms of selling us to the world.

I know I said 'finally', but I'm going to say one more 'finally', if that's okay, Llywydd, and that is just in terms of the Wales for Africa programme, something that we applaud the Government for investing in. I wonder whether you could consider widening the Wales for Africa programme out so that it becomes Wales for the world, because we know that there are links with Latin America that could be made, there are links with the middle east and Asia that could also be made, just with a little bit more investment. Many civic groups and societies have those links already, and I think some sort of focus to that by the Welsh Government getting on board in terms of broadening its reach beyond just sub-Saharan Africa would be something that we would very much welcome on this side of the Chamber. Thank you for being so accommodating.

Diolch, Darren, and thanks for your continuing interest in the international work that we undertake. I'm glad that you acknowledge that we need to strengthen and deepen our relationship with the EU and the nations and regions of the European Union, irrespective of the fact that we will now be leaving. Thank you also for drawing attention to the fact that we have emphasised three sectors that we're anxious to promote, and this is really because we're in a world where there's a lot of competition for attention, so you have to work out how you're going to stand out—what makes us distinctive, and I think these three sectors certainly do that for us.

Our sporting prowess is something that we should be very proud of, and I think we did a really good job in Japan, and there is a challenge now to see what we can do in the European championships. If we're honest, I don't think Azerbaijan is a huge market for us, but we will certainly be focusing a campaign in Italy, so that's something we will be looking forward to doing. Obviously, we'll wait to see who we'll be playing against, and there'll be opportunities perhaps to bounce off the back of that.

Human rights, I know, is something that you have a great interest in. There is an annex in the back that has a section on human rights, but what we're trying to do here is to really make sure that people understand that Wales wants to present itself as a fair nation. And fair play I see as the rights agenda, and I think it's really important that we underline that. When I meet ambassadors from around the world, if there are human rights issues, then I'm never shy to raise those issues with them.

I think in terms of faith communities, certainly, if you look at the number of organisations and faith organisations that are engaged in work with Africa, one of the things we've done is to try and map out who those people are and what they're doing, and, certainly, the Hub Cymru Africa is a great forum for that to happen. And I think also in terms of the tourism work in relation to faith, well I know that this year is 100 years since the establishment of the Church in Wales, and that their focus is on pilgrimage, and so there may be an opportunity there, and, certainly, that's something that maybe I'll speak to the Deputy Minister for tourism about. Certainly, what I don't want is that we preclude other areas in relation to Africa. So, obviously people can get on with their work in terms of developments and relationships with developing countries, but in terms of the suggestion that we reach out and expand it beyond Africa, what we've found is that, actually, with very small resources, if you want to make an impact, it makes more sense to focus, and that's why we've taken that approach. Maybe we'll have different opinions about that, but that's the decision that we've taken.

In terms of Welsh Government offices, we have appointed an overall manager now to make sure that we are monitoring those offices. I think they do a very good job, but what we haven't had, perhaps, and what the Assembly perhaps hasn't had, is the feedback. Certainly, that's something that we are feeding in more regularly now to the External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee, so they'll be getting those on a more regular basis to just get a better sense of what those offices are undertaking.

Our relationship with the United States is really crucial. I'll be heading out there towards the end of February. There are 1,250 foreign companies who invest in Wales and a quarter of those are American, so we are absolutely clear about how important that relationship is.

On the relationship with trade envoys, there are great relationships that already exist. I know that the Welsh Assembly sends people around the world on occasion. What I'd like to do is to make sure that there's an opportunity for those Assembly Members to sing from the hymn sheet that is the Welsh Government hymn sheet and the Welsh people's hymn sheet, and that's something that we'll be looking at doing in future.

On the ambassadors, we're looking at what we can do in the space of diaspora, so that's something that we're exploring further. So, I hope that's cleared some of those issues up.

I'd like to thank the Minister for her statement and broadly welcome the international strategy. It does come very late, about seven months by my reckoning, and it follows on from a widely criticised consultation document published last summer, but the good news is that there is a lot to be welcomed in this. I've only had a chance to read the strategy quickly ahead of Plenary today, but I'm happy to say that there's a lot that has improved here. It seems that, for once, the Welsh Government has actually listened to the criticism made by opposition parties and representatives from the sector, and the revised publication is so much stronger for it.

Some of the main criticisms that we had made in September included the lack of co-ordination between different departments of the Welsh Government, the fact it was a mixture of overgeneralisation and too much detail, and a general confusion about its purpose. But the new document is clearer and it includes explanations about how the international strategy will support the general aims of the Welsh Government, and, again, that is to be welcomed.

I also think it's a good thing that sustainable development and action to tackle climate change now plays a leading role in the strategy. It's clear that the Welsh Government has now realised that declaring a climate emergency has to mean something. We do need more than warm words on this, however, so I'd like to ask the Minister how she'll push forward the green energy agenda in terms of her international duties. Can the Minister tell me what practical steps she'll take to drive this forward?

Now, on trade, Plaid Cymru agrees that maintaining our trading relationship with mainland Europe has to be an overriding priority. I welcome the clear asks made of the UK Government, and it's great to see the Welsh Government flexing its muscles on this for the first time. Your call for the UK Government to seek the agreement of devolved Governments before agreeing its negotiating mandate sounds perhaps suspiciously similar to the veto Plaid Cymru has been calling for and that your Government rejected only a few weeks ago. However, we'll let bygones by bygones and we'll support the Welsh Government's effort to force the UK Government to listen to Wales before trade negotiations begin. We also agree with you that Welsh officials should be involved in the negotiations during all stages of the process.

In order to strengthen your hand, Minister, would you consider publishing a document that details exactly what the Welsh Government wants to see in terms of defending Welsh interests in the UK negotiating mandate, so that we as a Senedd can then amend and vote on the proposals? Having the Senedd agree to a Welsh position on trade negotiations would send a strong message to the UK Government that they need to listen to our concerns and ambitions and take it outside the party-political sphere.

I'm glad that you have finally published details about how you intend to engage with the Welsh diaspora all over the world, since this is fertile ground that Plaid Cymru has been calling for Government investment in for years. We are way behind countries such as Ireland and Scotland, so setting up this diaspora database is a positive first step that will allow the Welsh Government to take a more proactive approach. Now, that will help us culturally and economically, and will benefit Wales, and I'm glad to see that in the strategy, but could you give a little more detail in terms of how you'll engage with these diaspora communities once you've identified them?

Now, there are welcome initiatives, again, in the strategy about the Welsh language, including the development of technologies and steps to promote Welsh musicians on a global scale. There doesn't seem to be a commitment to make the Welsh language a key aspect of selling Wales abroad, though. Now, I've no objection at all to your aim of making Wales a world leader in sustainable adventure tourism, but shouldn't we also try to sell ourselves as a twenty-first century example of a country with a blossoming native language that people who visit can immerse themselves in? Now, I would suggest you co-ordinate your work with the Minister for the Welsh language, but you have both roles, so I really hope that you can revisit this. I do, however, welcome the plans to engage more closely with the Basque Country, Flanders and Brittany, and I'd welcome the opportunity to discuss your plans with you at a future date.

But, Minister, there are two main things missing from this strategy. They are targets and ethics. I can only identify one target in the whole 40 pages—again, I read this quickly before Plenary, so please correct me if I'm wrong with that—but without targets, it would be very difficult for us on these benches to hold you to account. I think you've mentioned in the past the possibility of publishing a parallel document to the strategy that sets out targets, and if that's your aim, could you tell us when that will be published, and if not, could you tell us what measures you suggest we use to track the success of the strategy?

And finally, for all the talk of global responsibility, there is a distinct lack of a clear vision for Wales as an ethical country in the strategy. I'd like to have seen, for example, a commitment to procuring only conflict-free materials for use in the Welsh technological supply chain. And there seems to be an ongoing failure to ensure that Wales plays no role in the arms trade. Minister, why is the Welsh Government so reluctant to pursue an ethical economic and international strategy in this regard? I'd appreciate your answers to these questions.

Thank you very much. I actually think, despite the fact that this is later than we'd hoped in terms of publishing the strategy, the timing has actually worked out very well. There have been a lot of shifting sands, let's face it, in the past few months, and now at least we know where we stand on Brexit, and it does mean that it's easier. And I think the timing is very important, in terms of the fact that I'll be going out, for example, to Brussels to launch this strategy on Thursday, and that will send a very clear signal, I hope, that we are not pulling back from the relationship that we hope to continue with the European Union in terms of those relationships that we've fostered and developed over many decades.

The co-ordination of this strategy has been cross-Government, and Ministers have been feeding into it. And you're absolutely right: sustainability has been central to what we've been trying to deliver here. The well-being of future generations will be core, and it's of real interest. Whenever we speak to people from different countries around the world, that's the thing that many of them pick up on, that we are genuinely unique, we are pioneering, in this sense, and they all want to learn more about that particular aspect. 

On other aspects of practically what we're hoping to do, you will see in the strategy that we will be promoting magnet projects, and one of the magnet projects we'll be promoting is wave and tidal technology, which will shift the focus, we hope, in terms of inward investment, into north Wales and to west Wales. So, that's a very deliberate action. And the other thing that you need to understand is that compound semiconductors are very high-tech, but what they are, actually, is power savers. They save energy, and the impact they can have on, for example, data centres, in terms of reducing energy, is significant. And so that is absolutely central to that tone that we're trying to impress on people in terms of our commitment to sustainability. 

On trade, we are very keen to make sure that we have that relationship with the UK Government before trade negotiations start, and we're still waiting for a date; we're hoping that a date will be forthcoming next week for us to start really engaging in practical detail on where we should be heading next. But you can be assured that we will be defending Welsh interests. It's very difficult to work out when can we come to the Assembly and say, 'This is what our strategy is', because it's going to be very, very fast moving, and we still don't know what the rules of engagement look like. And so it's very difficult for us to make a commitment to the Assembly when we're in a position where we don't know where we stand. So, I will try and keep you informed in terms of when we get more clarity on how we intend to engage with the Assembly on that. 

On the diaspora, I think this is an area where we do need to do some more significant work. We've already commissioned some work on how we can digitally engage across the world, and how best we can impact and make a connection with people. So, that work has already been commissioned. We've had meetings with the people who are engaged in different diaspora communities, so that we can pull our work together, and I think there's a huge opportunity for us there. All of the offices now have been targeted with making sure that they build up that diaspora network as well. 

In terms of selling Wales abroad, and Welsh abroad, we've already commissioned a document, and I made a presentation on the forthcoming international strategy to a group of ambassadors and consuls in London before Christmas. And one of the things we showed them was a specially commissioned video demonstrating what we've done in relation to the Welsh language. So, that is already in progress and something we're already using. 

On targets—listen, generally, I'm somebody who likes to see targets. The problem is that we have a situation here where we have very fast shifting sands. And so for us to set out targets, it's very difficult. And I'll just give you an example. On education, if we said, 'Right, we want to see thousands more students from around the world coming to study in Wales', we would have set that target too low before—. The UK Government now has said that those students will be allowed to stay for two years extra. That's probably going to encourage a lot more students to come. So, we'd have hit those targets far sooner than we should have. That's an example of where it's going to be difficult.

On inward investment, likewise, until we know what the relationship with the European Union is, it's going to be difficult for us to assess to what extent people are likely or not to want to invest in our country. And I would refute the fact that it's not an ethical document. The values are absolutely core to what we are putting out here. And I do think that we have to be very careful about defence. Defence is an important industry in Wales, and aerospace is an important industry. We have 160 companies employing 20,000 people, in the aerospace and defence companies. You've just heard Dawn Bowden talking about how she's keen to see the vehicles that they're producing in her area being used in the military. So, I don't think we should shy away from the fact that actually a core reason for Government is to defend its people, and certainly that's something that we would be very proud to see. And the fact that we have put cyber as central to this—. Cyber security is core to what we need to do now as a nation to defend our NHS, to defend the work we do as parliamentarians, because already the UK Government Parliament has been attacked. So, these are significant issues. The line between defence and commercial work is something that we've got be aware of, but there are a lot of people employed in this sector and I don't think we should shy away from it. 

Minister, there are many points in this statement that I welcome. I believe in a global United Kingdom trading and working freely with the whole world. I think that this can provide the foundations for a bright and prosperous future for Wales. The UK is leaving the European Union at the end of the month. The democratic will of the people of the UK and Wales is finally being respected and this statement does seem to recognise the opportunities leaving offers Wales as an outward-looking international nation. 

You just stated that there is a lot of competition out there and, as I said last week in this Chamber, I do hope that the Government considers the possibility of actually hosting a new trade summit here in Wales for Commonwealth countries. This could promote trade and also celebrate cultures, history and future relationships. I see this not as a replacement for the EU relationship, but as an additional relationship with countries who also share our goals and our values.

Minister, you've spoken about increasing the Welsh Government presence in EU member states and work to ensure that the European Union remains our strongest partner. Given that most of the decisions on trade and international policy will be decided for EU member states in Brussels by the EU Parliament, could you please inform us of the roles of the offices in EU member states? And how well, as scrutineers, we will be able to see the value for money for the taxpayer? 

I do welcome the Minister's much improved statement today. Thank you. 

Thank you, Mandy. And thank you for the fact that you welcome the statement, but also for underlining the importance of working with the UK Government, because they have massive resources that we need to tap into, and some of what we're trying to do here is to make sure that they are working on our behalf. But for them to work effectively on our behalf we need to make sure that they have the right script—a script that they can work from—and that's what we've been trying to do here: to develop a script that they can work from. And we will be really putting, I hope, a lot more pressure on the department of UK Trade and Investment and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to make sure that they are acting in our interests and on our behalf around the world. But there are other agencies that we need to take into account as well. The BBC World Service, the British Council—those are organisations that could do and do great work for us but where's the opportunity for them to do more, and how can we help them in that endeavour? 

And thank you for, again, bringing up this issue of the opportunities with Commonwealth countries. We have great relationships here in Wales with the diaspora community, in particular some of the ones throughout—India and Bangladesh are very, very well represented and very vocal. And we had somebody from India on the group that was helping us to develop this strategy. So, there are opportunities and we have trade missions and things that go to these countries to make sure that those relationships develop. 

Whether we can explore the option of seeing if we could host some kind of event—. We'll have a look. At the moment, my guess is that anything to do with trade, in terms of the UK Government, they are going to be head down for the next year, and it's going to be very, very difficult, I think, for them to come up for air in any way. So, I think there that it was probably a practical issue. But we now have the centre, the international conference centre, which is a real opportunity, and you'll see that that's also been outlined in this strategy as a place where we can host those kinds of events if they were to come. 

Can I thank the Minister for her statement and also welcome the international strategy, which is now in its final version? And I hope the report of the External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee gave you some sort of extra thinking before you put that strategy together.

The strategy is very much appreciative of where we want to go, but does still focus sometimes on our strengths and perhaps not a total vision of where we will be in five or 10 years' time, which I think is crucial. What you want Wales to be in 10 years' time is critical and is part of your vision. So, I think we need to ensure that, perhaps in the coming months, we focus on that in particular.

A couple of points on the strategy. I'll try and keep it brief, Llywydd, because I know you're conscious of the time. You don't mention EU programmes very much. It was mentioned this afternoon to the First Minister about Erasmus. There are two mentions and you will 'push for' involvement in these programmes, but the question is: what does 'push' actually mean? Are you as Wales going to be looking at how you can actually get involved in these programmes outside? Because Horizon Europe, which is what the successor is, and Erasmus+ are going to be crucial to our education sectors. So, where are we going with that?

How will we increase our presence elsewhere? Because I noticed that, of the memoranda of understanding you have with various regions and nations, three are in regions of Spain. You talk about a relationship with Spain in regard to education. We have no office in Spain or anywhere in Spain. So, are you looking to actually produce an office somewhere in Spain to link into all those associations you currently have? And also how are you going to be using those offices? Because it's Brussels, three in Germany, I believe—or two in Germany definitely—one in France, but we need to expand into Europe. Because I didn't see Europe as a separate entity in a sense in the discussion. It seems to me that the flow was that everyone would be treated the same. Are you going to focus more on Europe and, if so, how do we separate the European agenda from the global agenda? In the sense of also in Europe, what is the position of the Welsh Government on ensuring that we build up those relationships? Because outside of China, it is Europe you've got memoranda of understanding with, effectively—I think Quebec is one, on aerospace, but it is the focus of the Welsh Government's interests. So, we need to build up our offices in those areas and we need—as was pointed out by Delyth Jewell, I think—a form of assessing the success of those offices for Welsh Government in relation to the strategy that you've set out in this document.

Also, I agree with Delyth, and the committee has mentioned this many times, about trade and the UK Government and the involvement of the Welsh Government in the second of the negotiating mandate, plus the process through. But, other than that, have you had discussions with other UK departments as to how you can actually work together on this? Because it will require co-ordination and collaboration with UK departments. You mentioned yourself, in your document, that you will be dependent on some departments of the UK Government. Have you had those discussions and where are we on those discussions, so that we show how we can deliver this with our collaboration?

I also looked at the sectors that you picked up on. We picked up on three. I understand the three. I'm not going to repeat those three. But I do worry that we don't just focus on those three, because our long history of industrialisation in Wales and our heavy industries, which are moving ahead in the twenty-first century—. I'll take steel as a perfect example. We're not steel of the nineteenth century; we are steel of the twenty-first century. So, are you ensuring that those sectors are also going to be equally respected and worked on and supported in the global marketplace so that we can push those? Aerospace would be another clear example. These are industries that have been fundamental to the Welsh economy and are still going to be fundamental to the future Welsh economy, not just the three that you have identified in the document.

Finally, soft power. I totally agree that soft power is going to be crucial. The Welsh office in Brussels is expert at soft power. I hope you're able to expand that and how you're going to use soft power, not just the diaspora, but the soft power we currently have and the skills we have in soft power to actually benefit the Welsh economy and the strategy to ensure that we progress this through, in Brussels, in Europe and across the world.

Thank you very much, David, and thank you for the committee's work too.

Thank you very much for all the work that the committee has done to feed into this document as well. I actually refute the fact that we don't know where we're going to be in five years. If you look at the executive summary, it's absolutely clear what we want to be doing in five years' time. And that's how you can measure us. You know, 500,000 connections in terms of the diaspora community; I think that's pretty clear in terms of where we would like to be.

On the EU programmes, I think we've made it clear, not just in this document but in this Chamber on several occasions and by several Ministers, that we are very keen to continue with our involvement in those EU programmes; in particular, I think, Erasmus, which we've discussed this afternoon. We're particularly concerned that it looks like the UK Government is going to walk away from the vocational part of that. They're not trying to push that in any way at all. The fact is that we've actually put some money into trying to develop vocational relationships and exchanges with Brittany, just to make sure that we can keep those relationships going during this difficult transition phase.

On Horizon 2020, it's crucial for the success of our scientists in this country and our researchers. And if you think about the fact that, at the moment, we pay about £5 billion into Horizon 2020, but we get £7 billion back, in any new relationship, you can only get back what you put in. That's the difference between being in and out. Israel is a part of the Horizon 2020 programme, so there's no reason why we couldn't be. So, this is a matter of political will, but let's be clear that we will not be getting as much out and we will not be there to frame and to shape the programmes in the way that we've been able to in the past. 

I think that it's very clear in the document that our focus is on the EU—that that's our main relationship, that's where we want to develop—but obviously we need to recognise that the world is changing as well, and that we have those important relationships, in particular with North America, and that we have that global responsibility, in particular to developing some of the poorer parts of the world, and we have chosen to focus on Africa, and on two particular parts of Africa. 

How do we assess the success of the offices? Well, they've all been given a very clear direction now in terms of what the expectation is. I get monthly reports on that, and your committee will now be receiving fairly regular reports. 

On the trade side of things, the UK Government, of course, is going to be working on many different fronts in relation to the trade negotiations. If you think about agriculture, it's going to be fundamental, and Lesley Griffiths is very much involved in that. At some point, as the Minister with responsibility for trade here, I will have to see how we balance the relationships and the priorities between consumers and producers, between different sectors of the economy, between the EU relationship and the rest of the world. All of those things are discussions that we will have to have across Government, and those are things, again, where we don't know what the UK Government negotiating mandate will look like. Once we have sight of that, we will be able to make a more intelligent assessment, I think. 

Let me make it absolutely clear that we are not just focusing on three sectors. Those three sectors are to just get the attention of people when we walk into the room. We did that when we went to Germany last year. We invited people to a tech meeting, we told them that we were going to talk about cyber and compound semiconductors; we finished up talking about insurance tech. So, it's about getting people through the door and how you pique their interest. And certainly, we are not closing off the discussions on investment in any of the sectors, it's simply to give a bit of direction to people, because you basically have a couple of minutes to make an impact, and you can't start talking about every sector. 

On soft power, we had a conference on this recently, organised by the Wales Centre for International Affairs, and that was a really useful setting for us to pick up how best to use soft power. I think an example of us using soft power well was Japan; we need to do more of that. But we also need to bounce off things, like the fact that there are two people nominated from Wales for Oscars now, and those kinds of things make a difference. That's the kind of thing that projects our image onto the global stage. So, I think there are real opportunities and I hope that we can work well together now as a department and with your committee. We'd be very willing to hear and to listen to some of your ideas. 

We are out of time on this statement, but as Darren Millar did say, it's the first international strategy in the 21 years of the existence of this place, so to extend it by 10 minutes, I think, would be proportionate. I have three other speakers to call, and if they can be reasonably succinct, and succinct in answers as well, then we can get through all interested parties. Mick Antoniw.

Thank you. Minister, tomorrow I'll be doing a short debate talking about some of Wales's heroes—recognised and unrecognised—which I think, actually, will play a part in the international strategy and the need for the links that we establish with international countries. But what I wanted to do now is just refer to a theme that I've raised in this Chamber and with you a number of times about how we actually project Wales's image, and that's on the back of our art and our culture.

Of course, you'll be very aware of the world champion Cory Band, who have been world champions so many times and who are fantastic ambassadors for Wales. When you look at their itinerary: they've just returned from America, clearly an area that we want to develop our relations with; they are attending in Lithuania, in Palanga in April 2020, the European championships; they will then be in South Korea in August 2020; they will be in Ireland, in Kilkenny, in April 2020; they will be in Japan in 2021; they have concerts lined up in Austria, Lille in France, and in Brussels. I wonder, Minister, if you could perhaps put a little bit more meat on the strategy as to how, when we have ambassadors like this, we can integrate their tours and their cultural activities all over the world with the agenda of the Welsh Government promoting Wales, promoting our cultural links and our economic links.

One of the issues that we have within Wales is that, of course, many parts of the world don't really know where we are; they don't know much about Wales. It is through culture that people can learn so much and can engage. And it seems to me, over the past decade or so, we have missed the opportunity of bands like the Cory Band, but also some of the folk dance groups and some of the many other wonderful cultural assets that we have.

Thank you, and I'll be very sorry to be missing that debate tomorrow, because it does sound fascinating. I do hope that we'll have opportunities in this international strategy. Something I'm hoping to do when I go to the States is to really promote the fact that we had, for example, the women's peace petition, which I know the Llywydd has talked about in the past. About a third of the women of Wales signed a petition to ask the United States to join the League of Nations; an incredible moment in history and something that we should be proud to tell. So, there are heroes, and there are women amongst those heroes.

Thank you for bringing up the Cory Band. I do think that there are arts organisations that we should be really, really proud of in Wales. The Cory Band is one of them; national champions 2019 and  European champions 2019. What an opportunity. I've already asked for a co-ordinating group to bring together the big organisations, like the Welsh National Opera and like the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, to see how we can link up our trade missions with those big events. But I've also now asked and requested that the Cory Band be invited so that we can map out and see if there are any opportunities for us to bounce off their visits, or at the very least to give them some resources to promote Wales. So, they will be receiving an invitation to attend a meeting so we can co-ordinate those efforts in the future.

I know Côr y Penrhyn in Bethesda is also an amazing choir, and I hope that we'll be able to do things with some of those great, great choirs around Wales as well; get them to speak on our behalf.

Minister, I very much welcome your statement. Your ambition and determination to raise Wales's international profile is inspiring and much needed. You've mentioned in your statement how important sport can be to promoting the Welsh brand. As you know, I'm a big fan, as is the Llywydd, of the Cymru Premier League, in particular Connah's Quay Nomads for myself and Aberystwyth for the Llywydd. 

I've mentioned in this Chamber as well, Minister, I'm also a fan and a keen player of the game FIFA. The latest edition of the game was released in September of last year, and within one month it already had 10 million players globally. You've mentioned already the role of sport and how good we have done in recent years, both nationally and domestically in rugby and football. So, it's my intention, Minister, to write to the game's developer, A&A Sports, and call on them to include the Welsh Premier League, the Cymru Premier League, and Wales's national team in the next roll-out of the game.

So, this will mean, Llywydd, that players in Deeside, in Aberystwyth, in Delhi, in Shanghai, in New York and in Tokyo will be able to take control of football players such as Michael Bakare, the legend George Horan, and Flintshire's very own Elise Hughes. So, it would put the Cymru Premier League on an equal footing as leagues in England, Ireland and Scotland, but it would also put towns right across Wales on the international map. So, Minister, do you agree with me that this is an innovative and great way to promote the whole of Wales, and will you join me in calling for this and calling for the Welsh Premier League and the Welsh women's national team to be on the game FIFA 2021? Diolch.

Thanks very much. I spend most of my time telling my son to get off the FIFA game, but I can't pretend that I understand how it works. So, it's difficult for me to say, 'Right, that's a great idea', without knowing a bit more about it. But as a principle, if there's any chance we can get a platform on those kinds of systems, then that would be wonderful. So, crack on, and let me know how you develop.

I'm tempted to continue with that discussion, having had a discussion with my son as to whether to buy the latest version of FIFA or not in order to get Aaron Ramsay in a Juventus shirt this last week. We decided to stick with the old model, but perhaps I'll now need to reconsider.

I just want to speak very briefly as chair of the cross-party Wales international group, and to extend an invitation to all Members, as I usually do, to become involved with the activities of that cross-party group. I want to welcome the fact that we do now have this international strategy, and to make an appeal for that strategy—although it's only just emerging and the ink is yet to dry on it—to be a flexible strategy for ensuing years. It's a milestone that we now have a strategy in place. And I pay tribute again to Steffan Lewis, almost exactly a year since he left us, who was so enthusiastic for having a Minister for international relations and for seeing such a strategy in place, and we do now have that strategy in place. It's so crucial that we as a small nation do look outwards towards the world and make the most of the opportunities that exist out there in order to reach our potential as a nation.

Politically, there is disagreement in this Senedd as to how we deliver that potential in terms of a constitutional context. I firmly believe that it's as an independent nation in our own right that we would deliver that potential. Others see opportunities, as those set out in this document, to seek new opportunities elsewhere. But, we must be willing. When operating internationally, one can't be isolationist. You have to respond to what's happening in other parts of the world and see how Wales can fit into patterns and to influence others simultaneously.

Just a brief word in terms of the diaspora: I'm pleased to see a commitment now to work specifically with diaspora groups already in existence. There is mention of GlobalWelsh in the document and the Wales week in London. I could add to that—while declaring an interest, my father has been chair of the organisation in the past—Wales International, which for over 70 years has been making links between Wales and the Welsh diaspora, the Cymry ar wasgar as they used to be called. We do need to make the most of those networks. And I will quote from the Wales International website the words of Rhys Meirion, the president of that organisation:

'With pride in our Welsh identity and heritage, in a world which has become so small, we can be an international nation as we all, both the Welsh in Wales and the Welsh in all corners of the globe, have an important contribution to offer to each other, and to Wales.'

So, there is a great opportunity for us. I'm pleased we have this strategy in place, but can I seek that assurance that this will be a dynamic document and strategy as we move forward?

Thank you very much, and thank you for all the work that you do with the cross-party group. I think that that is a forum that does provide a great help. Of course we have to be flexible—that’s the world that we live in. And so, it’s important that we do have some targets, but that we also understand that we will have to change as things move forward.

I would also like to pay tribute to Steffan and his passion for international affairs, and what he did in this place to help to move that debate forward.

In terms of the diaspora, Wales and the World came to the meeting that we had before Christmas to bring some of the diaspora groups together, and so they are now part of that discussion about how we can co-operate and how we avoid duplication of work, and that we use the networks that we already have.

Thank you, Minister, for that statement.