The visit to Ireland yesterday by the Scottish First Minister marks the beginning of a series of visits by Scottish politicians to examine the possibility of co-operation in various policy areas.
Mr Donald Dewar had talks with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, at Government Buildings on transport and European policy, as well as illegal drugs. He then went to Iveagh House for talks with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, on Northern Ireland, the Irish community in Scotland and academic and cultural links between Ireland and Scotland.
Mr Dewar told reporters he was keen to learn from Ireland's legislation against illegal drugs, which seemed to have been effective. There was a large and growing number of areas in which Ireland and Scotland could co-operate and in which there were common interests, he said.
The Scottish Parliament's deputy minister responsible for dealing with the drugs problem is expected to visit Ireland in the coming months to look at the operation of the Criminal Assets Bureau and its role in dealing with drug trafficking. Another minister is to come to discuss possibilities for co-operation in the area of health, while Scotland's Minister for Community is to examine how poverty is dealt with here.
"We have to look beyond our own boundaries to get ideas," Mr Dewar told reporters. "A lot of things which are happening here interest us."
He said he hoped the planned Council of the Isles or British-Irish Council - involving parliamentarians from the Republic, the North, Scotland, Wales, England, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man - would come into existence shortly. However, that depended on agreement being reached between the parties in the North to set up the structures defined in the Belfast Agreement. "It would be a very useful forum for building relationships," he said.
Mr Dewar paid a courtesy call on the President, Mrs McAleese, at Aras an Uachtarain before returning to Edinburgh.
Irish exports to Scotland exceed £600 million a year. Thirty Irish companies have operations in Scotland and 120 Irish manufacturing companies are pursuing business opportunities there.
A Scottish-Irish Business Forum will be launched in Scotland by the Tanaiste, Ms harney, on November 11th.
About 50,000 Irish-born people people live in Scotland, more than half of them from Northern Ireland.