Angus Robertson has warned that closing the government's overseas offices would damage the country's interests. 

The Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs told Parliament the threat to do so from David Cameron was "ridiculous."

He also told MSPs that he was supposed to be meeting the Foreign Secretary this week, but that the Conservative minister cancelled just shortly before he issued his warning over the weekend. 

The diplomatic row was sparked after Humza Yousaf met with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, during COP28 in Dubai.

The First Minister said the pair had discussed the climate crisis and the “humanitarian crisis in Gaza”.

However, he did so without an official from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) being present.

READ MORE: Yousaf triggered diplomatic row by meeting Turkey's President Erdogan

In a letter to Mr Robertson, obtained by the BBC, Lord Cameron said the Scottish Government had assured the FCDO that it would give "sufficient advance notice" of the meeting to allow one of his officials to attend.

The Foreign Secretary said this "was not done".

He went on: "The absence of an FCDO official at this meeting contravenes the protocols in our guidance on FCDO support to devolved government ministers' overseas visits.

"Any further breaches of the protocol [that] ministerial meetings have a FCDO official present will result in no further FCDO facilitation of meetings or logistical support.

"We will also need to consider the presence of Scottish government offices in UK government posts."

The UK Government later raised concerns about meetings at COP28 between Mr Yousaf and Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, Charles Michel, the President of the the European Council, Najib Mikati, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, and Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar the caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Asked about the letter during a topical question in Holyrood, Mr Robertson said the timing of the missive was “surprising as Lord Cameron had a few days earlier cancelled a meeting we were due to have this week to discuss these issues.”

He added: “The Scottish Government's only interest in pursuing our international work is promoting Scotland's interests.”

The SNP minister said the government’s international offices “support trade, jobs and vital business connections".

He went on to say that there was a positive working relationship with the FCDO.

Mr Robertson said it was wrong to suggest a Scottish Government Minister “has or would purport to speak for the United Kingdom or to reach agreements which commit the UK.”

He added: “We invite FCDO officials to attend our formal meetings. It's impossible to predict where and when informal meetings will happen during large-scale events like COP28. And to threaten Scotland's interests on the basis of these discussions, arranged at pace is ridiculous.”

READ MORE: Diplomatic spat: Yousaf slams 'petty and misguided' Cameron

Conservative MSP Donald Cameron said that by meeting with President Erdogan to discuss foreign policy, namely the situation in the Middle East, “the First Minister acted against both the spirit and letter of an established protocol that requires FCDO official attendance and is crucially a requirement that applies equally to UK ministers as it does to Scottish ministers.”

He added: “Given that his government's own annual report highlighted a number of good examples of joint international working by officials from Scotland to governments, where FCDO support has been critical, will he now give a firm commitment that all future Scottish Government meetings with overseas officials will have a representative from the Foreign Office present?”

Mr Robertson told the Tory: “I have always been happy to be accompanied by representatives of the UK embassies or high commissions, whenever I undertake international meetings.

"That is the position of the Scottish Government.

"It's unfortunate that FCDO officials sometimes do not make themselves available.”