Scotland's devolved government will seek the widest possible backing in the Scottish parliament to keep its ties with the European Union following the British vote to leave the EU.
In an emergency debate at Holyrood, Nicola Sturgeon will call on MPs to support her talks "for protecting Scotland's relationship with the EU, Scotland's place in the single market".
Commenting ahead of the debate, she said: "I have already made it clear that I regard it as democratically unacceptable for Scotland to face the prospect of being taken out of the European Union against the wishes of the people of Scotland, as expressed overwhelmingly in last week's referendum.
"I am now determined to explore every avenue to retain Scotland's EU status and today's parliamentary debate is a vital part of that process.
"I am specifically asking parliament to strengthen my hand by giving me a mandate to pursue discussions about protecting Scotland's place in the EU with the UK government, other devolved administrations, EU institutions and member states.
"It is now crucial that our national parliament speaks with as strong and united a voice as possible on this issue."
Calls for a second Scottish independence referendum have grown since Britain as a whole voted to leave the EU last week, despite a large majority of Scots supporting staying in the EU.
