Treasury Minister Anne Craine MHK has been speaking out on the importance of enhancing the Isle of Man’s international profile. Acting as a global ambassador for the Island in recent weeks, Mrs Craine has been in the company of President of the World Bank Robert Zoellick, Managing Director of the IMF Dominique Strauss-Khan, and UK Chancellor George Osborne. She has also provided an update on the Small Countries Financial Management Programme to world finance ministers in Washington, signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) with China and this week delivered the prestigious Sir Thomas Gresham Docklands Lecture in London. Mrs Craine said: ‘The Isle of Man Government has increasingly represented its own interests in world affairs in recent years, most notably by concluding a significant number of bilateral tax agreements. My recent experiences in America and UK have reinforced the need for greater engagement with other countries in order to position the Isle of Man on the world stage. There is no doubt that what happens in the glass and chrome offices in Washington and the City of London has a direct effect on us here in the Island.’ The Minister added: ‘The Isle of Man has a very positive message and one of the best ways to convey that is through face-to-face meetings. We cannot afford to be left out in the cold; we must step up to the plate – small as we are – and show that we can compete at the highest level. The stakes are too high to be ostrich-like in our approach.’ The Isle of Man Government’s desire to develop its political and diplomatic relations with other countries was supported by the UK Ministry of Justice this week in its response to a report published this year by the House of Commons Justice Committee. Those aspirations have been delivered through a policy of proactive engagement aimed at promoting a greater understanding and awareness of the Island and its positive contribution to the international economy. Mrs Craine said that gradual, but important, progress was being achieved, and welcomed a commitment from Robert Zoellick for the World Bank to act as a conduit to give small counties such as the Isle of Man access into powerful decision-making bodies. ‘It is vital to our international reputation and future prosperity that the Isle of Man’s position on key issues is fairly and accurately communicated to policy makers such as the G20, OECD and EU Member States,’ she added. ‘The world is changing fast and if we don’t continue to change with it and meet the current trends we will be lost. That’s why our international interface is so important.’ Ends