WITH Brexit less than six months away, the Welsh Government should do more to increase trading links with non-EU countries, an AM has said.

Last month the Welsh Assembly’s Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee called for a dedicated Welsh Government trade and international relations minister to be appointed to prepare for the impact of leaving the European Union.

And, speaking in the Senedd this week, South Wales East AM Mohammad Asghar backed the report, and called for more to be done to improve Wales’ international position.

Addressing Carwyn Jones, the Conservative AM said: “Welsh Government figures show that export from Wales to the European Union for the year ending 2018 increased by 6.8 per cent compared to the previous year.

“However, export to non-EU countries increased only by 0.3 of a per cent.

“Given the failure of Welsh Government to diversify its export destinations, what action will he take to take advantage of the trading opportunities presented by Brexit?”

But the first minister said four of Wales’ five top trade partners – Germany, France, Ireland and the Netherlands – are in the EU, with only one, the USA, not part of it.

“These are our major export markets,” he said. “They are markets that we must seek to protect, while at the same time looking to expand our markets elsewhere, which is why we've opened, and are in the process of opening, more offices around the world, in order to raise Wales's profile abroad.”