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Nicola Sturgeon has backed proposals for a "summit" to help break down the barriers faced by oil and gas workers moving into greener energy.

The Press and Journal says the First Minister threw her support behind the idea during a visit to Aberdeen.

The SNP leader denied a split is forming in her party over the future of oil and gas production in the North Sea, including among her north-east representatives.

But she acknowledged there is a "concern" the transition away from fossil fuels is carried out "properly" and in a way that does not let "Aberdeen be neglected".

The First Minister said her government is committed to making the Granite City the "net zero capital of Europe".

She addressed a recent survey led by SNP MSP Gillian Martin which found just one in 10 workers in the North Sea oil and gas industry say they have enough opportunities to switch to renewables.

Ms Sturgeon said she would support Ms Martin's call for a series of high-level summits to break down the various barriers holding back the "just transition" away from fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources.

On recent perceived splits within the SNP over the future of domestic oil and gas production in the North Sea, Ms Sturgeon said: “I wouldn’t say it’s a divergence of view.

“More I think an understandable – which I actually share – concern that we do this properly.

“Aberdeen is the oil and gas capital of Europe. My ambition is for Aberdeen to become the net zero capital of Europe and the jobs dependent on oil and gas to be migrated and transitioned into renewables and low carbon.

“That doesn’t happen by accident. I grew up in Ayrshire in the 1980s and I saw what happened to communities in a major economic transformation when governments didn’t make sure that people were taken along with them.

“I don’t want that to happen here. I think what you’re seeing in the SNP is just a lot of real determination not to allow us to let Aberdeen be neglected and I certainly share that.

“I welcome that challenge. I think it’s important for government to have that challenge and I want to be very clear that I am totally committed to a fair and a just transition for Aberdeen.”

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