WALES must be ambitious and outward looking and embrace globalisation, the First Minister has told staff and students at Swansea University.
Delivering a lecture entitled Global Wales to the university's Richard Burton Centre for the Study of Wales, Carwyn Jones said the country had to "actively engage" with the wider world.
He began his talk by looking at to the Assembly referendum earlier this month in which the people of Wales voted to extend law-making powers.
He said the referendum had been about more than just a technical question of legislative process, but about how the Welsh saw themselves — whether the country was confident and proactive, or whether they are "a timid people" who are "happy to sit in the corner watching the world go by".
He described devolution as a "platform" which had given Wales the chance to participate in the wider world and to make its voice heard.
The First Minister said that while foreign policy was outside the competence of the Assembly and that Cardiff Bay "was not looking for a seat in the United Nations" there were never-the- less issues that Wales had a specific interest, including climate change, EU policy on training and investment, as well as in education and cultural exchanges.
He went on to say that on average he met one ambassador a week in Cardiff — often with trade delegations in tow.
"They want to come to Wales because they now see Wales as important," he said.
"Our immediate focus is on India, China and the US but we are open to other approaches where the business case stacks up.
"We are a small country but that doesn't mean we have to be small in ambition. A lot of what we have to do in the future involves us believing in ourselves, believing that we can be amongst the best in world, and believing that we can be ambitious for our future."
He said that there would always be a "warn welcome" for investors, and that the country had to compete for high skill rather than low wage jobs.
He also said that one of the features of globalisation was the mobility of people, but that people coming to Wales was not new.
"There has never been one kind of Welshness," he said.
"Wales in the 19th century welcomed people from around the world. They added to the rich tapestry of Welshness — and we see that again as we welcome people from around the world."
Mr Jones added: "The reality is Wales should never be inward looking — we have to be brave and bold in the world. Globalisation is happening and we cannot stop it — let's embrace it; let's go out there and tell the world we are here."
jason.evans@swwmedia.co.uk
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