ALEX Salmond spoken with Rupert Murdoch following the media mogul's apparent support for Scottish independence on the Twitter social networking site.
Mr Murdoch, head of News Corporation, tweeted on Monday "Let Scotland go and compete. Everyone would win."
Mr Salmond, who called Mr Murdoch yesterday morning. said: "It was an interesting eight words: a textbook example of how to deploy a tweet and cause a great stir.
"We are in a debate in Scotland and internationally about Scotland's future, and I welcome all contributions to the debate, including Mr Murdoch's."
The tycoon's words followed a tweet on Sunday in which he said: "Alex Salmond clearly most brilliant politician in UK. Gave Cameron back of his hand this week. Loved by Scots."
Mr Murdoch's Scottish Sun title switched from opposition to the SNP before the 2007 election to support for the party at the election in May.
The spokesman for Mr Salmond said the editorial stances of Murdoch's newspapers were not discussed.
The Scottish Government published letters last summer between Mr Salmond and Mr Murdoch at the height of the phone hacking scandal that engulfed Murdoch's News International company and led to the closure of the News of the World.
It which showed attempts to bring Mr Murdoch to Scotland as the guest of honour at the Gathering, a cultural celebration intended as the centrepiece of the Year of Homecoming.
Mr Salmond suggested that the event would be a great spectacle for coverage by Sky television.
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