The Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael said he will attend a North Sea oil summit organised by Aberdeen City Council.
The meeting has been called by Aberdeen City Council in response to a plunge in oil prices to just above $62 a barrel, from more than $100 in the summer. Scottish Labour pledged to send its leader, Jim Murphy, and urged both Mr Cameron and Ms Sturgeon to attend.
Alistair Carmichael will attend the summit as well as the Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie.
Scottish Liberal Democrats, Willie Rennie said:“We look forward to the summit to discuss the best way ahead for our oil industry.
“These talks are about the future of a key industry, but also the futures of the individuals who work within the sector. All those attending must put their differences aside and work for a common goal.
“We will go to Aberdeen ready to work to find a solution.”
Trade body Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) said there was no need for a knee-jerk reaction to the low oil prices, adding it was probably enough to “reflect” on them after Christmas.
Council leader Jenny Laing said: “I have instructed Angela Scott, our chief executive, to arrange a summit between senior politicians, government officials, industry representatives, trade unions, and local politicians.
“It’s the right thing to do for the city of Aberdeen.
“We have a responsibility as the leading local authority because there are so many jobs dependent on the oil and gas industry, and this is about trying to get a bit of stability within the industry.
“There’s things that a local authority cannot control such as tax, so it’s important that all three layers of the UK, Scottish and indeed local government are all working towards the same aims.
“We’ve asked Nicola Sturgeon to come up, and we’re writing to David Cameron to ask him to come up, and attend the summit.
“Upon reflection, they might say that the best person to deal with this would be their energy ministers, but at the end of the day if the UK and Scottish governments are serious about oil and gas then I think we need the most senior politicians up here for a summit in Aberdeen.
“Aberdeen is a global city that has achieved so much success, thanks to the oil and gas industry being on our doorstep. We are the energy capital of Europe and in order to sustain our position and compete against other global cities we must have a strategy.”
“Ms Scott is writing to the Scottish and UK governments, industry leaders, unions and Aberdeenshire Council about the meeting and the need to “find a strategic solution to ensure Aberdeen retains its position as the energy capital of Europe”.
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