Brussels sympathetic to Scotland's desire to stay in EU - Sturgeon.

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• published: 30 Jun 2016
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Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she was given a "sympathetic" hearing in Brussels where she made her case for finding a way to keep Scotland in the European Union after Britain voted to leave the bloc last week. SHOWS: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JUNE 29, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. EXTERIOR OF SCOTLAND HOUSE CONFERENCE CENTRE 2. SCOTTISH FLAG FLYING 3. SCOTTISH FIRST MINISTER, NICOLA STURGEON, ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTTISH FIRST MINISTER, NICOLA STURGEON, SAYING: "I've also had a sympathetic response to the position Scotland now finds itself in, facing the prospect of being taken out of the European Union against our will, position not of our making and not one that we wanted. Now, I have not been here today to reach any conclusions or to press anybody for any decisions or any commitment. I have been here today to make sure that Scotland's voice is being heard and that Scotland's position is understood and I am confident that that is the case. I found doors to be open here today." 5. STURGEON AT NEWS CONFERENCE 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTTISH FIRST MINISTER, NICOLA STURGEON, SAYING: "For my part, I have emphasised that Scotland voted to remain part of the European Union and I have a duty as first minister to respond to and to seek to find a way to give effect to the democratic will of Scotland so if there is a way for Scotland to stay, I'm determined to try and find that way. We are right now in unchartered territory and none of this is easy." 7. NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS 8. NEWS CONFERENCE ENDING, STURGEON LEAVING STORY: Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Wednesday (June 29) she was given a "sympathetic" hearing in Brussels where she made her case for finding a way to keep Scotland in the European Union after Britain voted to leave the bloc last week. "Since I've been here today I've found enormous interest in the referendum result as you would expect and I've also had a sympathetic response to the position Scotland now finds itself in, facing the prospect of being taken out of the European Union against our will," she told a news conference. She said she had not come to Brussels seeking commitments or decisions but she wanted to "make sure that Scotland's voice is being heard". "For my part, I have emphasised that Scotland voted to remain part of the European Union and I have a duty as first minister to respond to and to seek to find a way to give effect to the democratic will of Scotland so if there is a way for Scotland to stay, I'm determined to try and find that way. We are right now in unchartered territory and none of this is easy," she said. Scotland voted decisively to stay in the EU in last week's referendum, putting it at odds with the United Kingdom as a whole, which voted in favour of Brexit. Sturgeon has called the prospect of Scotland being taken out of the EU "democratically unacceptable" and said she would take all necessary steps to prevent it, including revisiting the issue of independence from the United Kingdom.