Ten days ago I joined with colleagues in the Scottish Parliament for the official opening of its fifth session, presided over by Her Majesty The Queen.

It was a special occasion and among some wonderful performances, by the best of Scottish talent, was the performance of our new Makar Jackie Kay’s first piece of commissioned poetry titled ‘Threshold’.

It’s an extremely poignant piece of work which reminded us we are a Parliament for all of Scotland.

Jackie Kay’s work routinely celebrates diversity - indeed, her own background is amongst the most diverse of all of us.

In Threshold, she says:

“Our strength is our difference.

Dinney fear it.

Dinny caw canny.”

Scotland is a diverse nation. We are more than five million men and women, adults, young people and children, each with our own history.

Some of us are the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those who came from Ireland to work in our shipyards and our factories.

We are home to 82,000 Polish people, 8000 Lithuanians - and the 7000 each from Spain, Germany, Italy and Latvia - just some of the many EU nationals we are glad to have living here.

21,000 EU students study at our universities and colleges, and thousands of doctors, nurses and other staff from around the world, care for us daily in our NHS.

We each have our own history, hopes and ambitions, yet whether we have lived here for generations or are new Scots, all of us have the same opportunity to contribute to building a better Scotland.

Following the outcome of the referendum I was eager to reassure EU citizens living here that they are a welcome part of Scotland. I wanted them to know that the contribution they make to our economy, and the vibrancy they bring to our society and our culture, is valued.

I’ve been touched by the number of emails and letters I’ve received from EU nationals all over Scotland telling me about their lives here and how they have never felt anything but welcome in our country. However they are also concerned about their future here.

I am clear on the Scottish Government’s position on this matter – EU citizens are an important part of Scotland’s past, present and future. Those who have chosen to make Scotland their home should be allowed to stay for as long as they wish - just as we hope that the hundreds of thousands of British citizens living overseas will continue to be welcomed in their adopted countries

I have written to the Prime Minister and to May, his likely successor, requesting that they guarantee the immigration status and rights of EU nationals will not change – neither now nor in the future.

It is imperative that the UK Government respects the legitimate expectation of those who have exercised their rights and chosen to make a life in Scotland.

Of course, Scotland is not just a place of welcome for people who choose to live here. As we do every year, Scotland is also welcoming hundreds of thousands of international visitors this summer as we stage some of the best sporting and cultural events in the world – the Scottish Open, The Open, and Edinburgh’s Festivals, to name just a few.

Closer to home, Glasgow is hosting the Homeless World Cup - a sporting event like no other.

Sport has immense power to bring people together to celebrate diversity. The Homeless World Cup is a particularly great example of the power of sport. In bringing together competitors from more than 50 countries, each with their own story of personal hardship that most of us will never have to tackle, the Homeless World Cup will energise and engage people who, for whatever reason, have become socially excluded.

For the players, it’s an opportunity to develop resilience, achieve personal goals and help prevent repeat homelessness. And let’s not forget the chance to represent your country on the international stage is a huge honour that for many players was only ever a distant dream.

Whilst we may not have a chance of winning the Euros, as former Homeless World Cup champions we can certainly rally behind Scotland in this tournament!

I have no doubt our international visitors will be warmly welcomed with open arms and hope they have an unforgettable experience in Scotland.

Jackie Kay’s poem ends with “Come join our brilliant gathering” – that is the message I think Scotland sends out to the world. We are an open, outward-looking, inclusive nation and you are all welcome here.