UK in Turkey

4th January 2016 London, UK

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by Richard Moore

FCO Political Director

Praise for our project work

We diplomats are not often praised for the way in which we spend public funds.  The UK tabloids prefer to perpetuate the myth of the champagne-swilling cocktail party-goer.  So it was nice to receive some positive feedback recently about one of our long standing bilateral projects in Turkey.  My correspondent wrote “As a British taxpayer, […]

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15th December 2015

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by Leigh Turner

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

#MastersofSocialMedia

The voice is clear and strong with a hint of pain. “Love,” she sings, “is a losing game”. I’m not at a concert or watching a movie.  I’m at Sentez College, a school in the Turkish city of Sakarya, to present certificates to students who have passed their Trinity College London and Cambridge English exams. […]

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26th November 2015

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by Leigh Turner

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

St Andrew’s Day: how Scottish was my great-grandmother?

30 November is St Andrew’s Day, named after the Patron Saint of Scotland. St Andrew offers continuity across cultures: he was crucified at Patras, in modern-day Greece, and his body was taken to Constantinople – present-day Istanbul – before being transferred to Amalfi in Italy in the 13th Century.  He is Patron Saint of Ukraine as well […]

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25th November 2015 London, UK

Janet Douglas CMG

Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Ankara

Stop violence against women!

We have to stop violence against women because for too long, too many women around the world have experienced terrible abuse. The UN estimates 35% of women globally have experienced some form of violence. This abuse can happen in ordinary homes, and in warzones where women are disproportionate victims of sexual violence. And these crimes […]

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17th November 2015

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by Leigh Turner

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

Business in Turkey: good news

Three Turkish mobile phone companies bid for frequencies to roll out a new high-tech service known in Turkey as 4.5G.  Billions of euro change hands, and the companies walk away with a variety of packages and bandwidth allocations.  Who wins? I wrote a blog last February called “Business in Turkey: The rules of the Game”.  […]

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12th November 2015

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by Leigh Turner

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

Creating an environment for foreign investment: what “independent” means

I recently met a group of top Turkish business folk from the financial sector.  They were an impressive group and a powerful advertisement for the talent Turkey has to offer. We discussed how best to boost Turkey’s role as a financial centre. Turkey needs more inward investment.  It must compete for that investment with other […]

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11th November 2015 London, UK

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by Richard Moore

FCO Political Director

Why do Brits wear the Poppy?

The small, red flower – a poppy – that I’m currently wearing on my jacket lapel (and my Twitter page) is often a point of curiosity in Turkey and people frequently ask about it. The United Kingdom, together with other Commonwealth nations, commemorates Remembrance Day every year on 11th November when we remember our fallen. […]

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5th November 2015

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by Leigh Turner

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

A Match Made In Heaven? Turkish Airlines and VisitBritain

Take a top global airline. Add a top national tourist board. Result: an innovative global marketing partnership to attract more international visitors to Britain. On 20 October, VisitBritain and Turkish Airlines announced a new partnership. The partnership will focus at the UK end on Turkish Airline’s five regional gateways – including Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh […]

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2nd November 2015

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by Leigh Turner

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

Crimes against journalists

Today, 2 November, is ‘International Day to end impunity for crimes against journalists.’ This really matters, for Turkey as for every country. As I wrote in my blog of 2 October about Ahmet Hakan, Turkey: media freedom, stability, security, ‘democracy, human rights and the rule of law are essential to peaceful, resillient and prosperous societies. […]

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