13.09.2005 · The Government

Joint Statement by Faroes and Islands Councils

The second annual meeting of the Faroes and Scottish Islands Councils took place in the Western Isles on 7 and 8 September. The Faroese Prime Minister and the Convenors of the three Scottish Islands Councils reviewed progress in implementing the Western Isles regeneration strategy ‘Creating Communities of the Future’ and discussed areas of common interest and possible co-operation.

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

PRESS RELEASE


12 September 2005

Joint Statement by Islands Councils and Faroes

The second annual meeting of the Faroes and Scottish Islands Councils took place in the Western Isles on 7 and 8 September.

The Faroese Prime Minister and the Convenors of the three Scottish Islands Councils reviewed progress in implementing the Western Isles regeneration strategy ‘Creating Communities of the Future’ and discussed areas of common interest and possible co-operation.

Following an initial meeting with the Comhairle and the Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership, the Prime Minister and Convenors visited a number of sites critical to the success of the regeneration strategy including the Arnish yard and the Lews Castle College of UHI.
Major areas of common interest and possible cooperation discussed were;-
Renewable Energy
ICT/Broadband – esp the Live Local Work Global initiative
UHI and the University of the Faroes
Language and culture

They agreed to pursue joint approaches to these, and other areas of common interest to promote the development of their island economies, with particular emphasis on encouraging population growth.

The Convenor of the Comhairle, Mr Alex MacDonald, said :-
“It was a great pleasure to welcome the Prime Minister of the Faroes and my fellow island Convenors to this second annual meeting following the initial meeting last year in Torshavn. I believe the visit marked a number of firsts including the first time a Prime Minister has attended a meeting of the Comhairle and the first ever joint meeting of the Comhairle with our Community Planning partners. We discussed the many similarities of our different island groups and the potential to work together in areas of common interest and concern such as attracting population through economic development. I was very impressed by the progress in Faroes in both economic and cultural development over recent years. They have not only grown their economy and population but also revived their language and culture. I believe we can all benefit by learning lessons and look forward to much closer co-operation with our island friends in future.”

The Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands, Mr Joannes Eidesgaard, said ;-
“This was a very useful and interesting visit. I am grateful to the Western Isles for hosting this second annual meeting and giving us such an interesting programme and warm hospitality. We were very impressed with the regeneration strategy ‘Creating Communities of the Future’ and with the progress being made in implementing it. Clearly Renewable Energy is vital to all the islands groups and it was good to see real, sustainable jobs being created at Arnish. I was personally very interested in the progress being made in ICT and broadband. I am sure we could learn important lessons from Western Isles experience and equally sure that our experience in reviving our language and culture can provide help and guidance to those seeking to do the same for Gaelic. We will be following up on these and other issues ahead of the next meeting in Shetland.”

The Convenor of the Orkney Islands Council, Mr Steven Hagan, said ;-
“We work closely with our Scottish Islands colleagues on a wide range of matters of common interest but too seldom do we get the chance to visit each other and see what is happening on the islands. This annual joint meeting with Faroes and the Scottish islands councils provides that chance and we have been very impressed with progress in the Western Isles. We will all learn a great deal from this experience and our joint working will be greatly enhanced. For example, we are already working closely to promote the case for enhanced grid connections to enable the islands to benefit from renewable energy development. Seeing the kind of impact this can have on jobs and population emphasizes the need for our efforts to be increased.”
The Convenor of the Shetlands Islands Council, Mr Sandy Cluness, said :
“This has been a great chance to learn about common issues and reinforce our already good working relations with other island groups. We in Shetland are also pursuing renewable energy projects and will soon be applying for a major on-shore wind farm similar to those proposed for Lewis. We have benefited greatly from oil revenues and see renewable energy as the long term sustainable way of ensuring our community continues to enjoy those benefits. I firmly believe that the wind farm proposals and other renewable energy developments in the Western Isles can have the same impact as oil had in Shetland. We look forward to working together to promote our islands communities and especially to the third annual meeting that we will host in Shetland next year.”


Notes to Editors
1. The first meeting of the four island groups was held in Torshavn last year. The islands agreed to hold annual joint meetings.
2. Creating Communities of the Future is the strategy agreed by the Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership in 2002, refreshed in 2005. It aims to promote economic growth through 6 key drivers (Renewable Energy Innovation, Broadband, Tourism, Culture and Heritage, Business Infrastruture/Jobs Dispersal, UHI Millennium Institute) and is available from Calum Iain Maciver on 01851 709594

Issued by Nigel Scott, Communications Officer.  Tel: 01851 709389
                                                                       07884 236103
 


Press contact, Faroes: Bjørt Samuelsen, Press Secretary. Tel: +298 551041