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Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

11th April 2016

Congratulations Beşiktaş!

The new “Vodafone Arena” is magnificent.  The location is world class.

How did it happen?

Since 2013 I have often walked past the site of magnificent new Beşiktaş stadium.  I watched with fascination as the old stadium was demolished; a huge hole in the ground appeared; and the new stadium arose.

Every month or two, I tweeted out pictures of progress.

You can see all those pictures in the gallery below.  Enjoy; and congratulations to the team and the fans on a wonderful new home as they play their first game there today, 11 April.

4 comments on “Congratulations Beşiktaş!”

  2. Dear Mr Turner,

    I have query about myself which has been haunting me for the past 25 years or so. I know this may not the right place to mention this and that you are most probably not the right person to talk to about but as you’re the head of British Consulate in Turkey you’re blog was the closest I could get to someone that may help. Or at least lead me to the right place too.

    My name is Yusuf Ziya Kalkavan. I’m a Turkish citizen born on April 25th 1970 in Mersin and currently living in Istanbul / TURKEY.

    My full address is:-

    Barbaros Mahallesi
    Halk Caddesi
    Kardelen Sokak
    Incity Sitesi
    A8 Blok / Daire:17
    Yenisahra – Ataşehir

    I have lived in the UK continuously for 12 years from 1979 to 1991 with my parents, elder sister, elder brother and grandmother (you can see the exact dates I have been in the UK below taken from my passports).

    ARRIVAL DEPARTURE DAYS
    08.07.1979 18.07.1980 376
    05.09.1980 04.04.1982 576
    28.04.1982 11.07.1982 74
    06.09.1982 14.07.1983 311
    07.09.1983 19.07.1984 316
    01.09.1984 05.01.1985 126
    12.01.1985 05.07.1985 174
    06.09.1985 02.07.1986 299
    03.09.1986 01.07.1987 301
    03.09.1987 31.12.1988 485
    15.01.1989 09.07.1989 175
    10.09.1989 16.12.1989 97
    14.01.1990 03.02.1990 20
    21.06.1990 22.07.1990 31
    15.12.1990 03.02.1991 50
    25.08.1991 10.09.1991 16
    20.11.1991 12.01.1992 53
    07.06.1993 15.06.1993 8
    14.05.1995 21.05.1995 7
    21.02.1997 02.03.1997 9
    23.05.1998 31.05.1998 8
    02.05.2007 07.05.2007 5
    15.06.2009 20.06.2009 5
    3522

    During these years I have attended below schools for my education.

    Talbot House Preparatory School (Bournemouth / Dorset)
    Homefield School (Christchurch / Dorset)
    Ewell Castle School (Epsom / Surrey)
    NESCOT College (Epsom / Surrey)

    In 1984 after our first 5 years in the UK we were eligible to apply for British Nationality, however at that time unlike my brother and sister, I was under the age limit to apply individually so I had to apply under my parents name. But due to my fathers business being in Turkey, which he had to travel back and forth with my mother, their stay was not found sufficient and were rejected. But my brother and sister were accepted and eventually received their passports shortly after.

    In 1988, when I was old enough, I applied for British Nationality on my own this time. But as years past and before the result of my application came through we had to return back to Turkey permanently. And as a result my application was rejected because I was no longer living in the UK anymore.

    Because of my permanent return to Turkey not only did I not get accepted to British Citizenship I was also waived from my rights from Indefinite Leave to Remain visa on my passport and was told to apply for a visa for each time I wanted to go to UK.

    What I don’t understand and cannot accept is, I lived in the UK just as much as my brother and sister who not only got British Citizenship for themselves but also for their children who were born in Turkey and never lived in the UK before (my brother has 2 kids and sister has 3 kids). I really can’t help asking where is the justice in this??? each time I think about it. I have 2 kids myself and I’m very upset that they have to live with the sadness of not having British Citizenship unlike their cousins.

    I don’t know if there is any other person in the world like me who has lived in the UK for so many years and not managed to get accepted to British Citizenship. I cant explain how annoying this is for me and how much its hurting my children as well. Just because I was under aged at the time my brother and sisters application, I couldn’t get a British passport and have to suffer this discrimination for the rest of my life.

    During our stay in the UK we had two houses to ourselves at addresses given below (both of which were sold in 1995).

    1) 15 St. Ledgers Road, Queens Park, Bournemouth, Dorset

    2) 40A Ewell Downs Road, Ewell, Epsom, Surrey

    My family names are as below:

    Father: Salih Kalkavan (born: 1941 – died: 1995)
    Mother: Sema Kalkavan (born: 1948)

    Sister: Ferah Kalkavan (born: 1966) now carrys the surname Koyluoglu (husbands name is Erdinc who is a Turkish citizen)
    Child 1: Hasan Koyluoglu (born: 1990 UK has been given British Passport)
    Child 2: Melis Faika Koyluoglu (born: 1992 UK has been given British Passport)
    Child 3: Sema Koyluoglu (born: 2001 Turkey has been given British Passport)

    Brother: Sukru Aydin Kalkavan (born: 1967) wifes name Banu wo is a Tukrish citizen)
    Child 1: Merve Kalkavan (born: 1992 UK has been given British Passport)
    Child 2: Sefa Bulent Kalkavan (born: 1996 Turkey has been given British Passport)

    Grandmother: Faika Kurt (born: 1921 – died: 1994)

    I know its been so long and I don’t know if anything can be done right now. But in anycase I wanted to try my luck to save myself from the misery of not trying all this time.

    I can prove every information I have given above and answer any question you may want to ask.

    P.S. As a Beşiktaş supporter myself I would like to thank you for you good thoughts (BTW my uncle İhsan Kalkavan was the vice president of Beşiktaş from 1990 to 1993 in which the club won the league title 3 years in a row).

    Best Regards,

    Yusuf

  3. I would like to thank you for your nice sharing and comments as a Beşiktaş fan.
    It is quite a work, and nice pictures.

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About Leigh Turner

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of…

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of the UN and other organisations; stories here will reflect that.

About me: I arrived in Vienna in August 2016 for my second posting in this wonderful city, having first served here in the mid-1980s. My previous job was as HM Consul-General and Director-General for Trade and Investment for Turkey, Central Asia and South Caucasus based in Istanbul.

Further back: I grew up in Nigeria, Exeter, Lesotho, Swaziland and Manchester before attending Cambridge University 1976-79. I worked in several government departments before joining the Foreign Office in 1983.

Keen to go to Africa and South America, I’ve had postings in Vienna (twice), Moscow, Bonn, Berlin, Kyiv and Istanbul, plus jobs in London ranging from the EU Budget to the British Overseas Territories.

2002-6 I was lucky enough to spend four years in Berlin running the house, looking after the children (born 1992 and 1994) and doing some writing and journalism.

To return to Vienna as ambassador is a privilege and a pleasure. I hope this blog reflects that.

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