Leigh Turner
Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna
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UK in Austria
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29th November 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
It’s 9.30 p.m. and the Sancho Panza Restaurant is packed with Scots and Ukrainians in kilts and traditional embroidered linen shirts (actually most of the men in kilts are wearing Ukrainian shirts). A Scottish/Ukrainian band equipped with bagpipes, a harmonica, fiddles and a tsymbaly play Ukrainian and Scottish dance tunes accompanied by roars of enthusiasm […]
Read more on St Andrew’s Night in Kyiv: a Ukrainian-Scottish ceilidh | Reply
26th November 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Science fiction has a fine record of guessing the future; but no-one saw the Internet coming. Honourable mention should be made of the excellent works of William Gibson, credited with inventing the term cyberspace. Gibson’s 1984 novel Neuromancer, which includes references to something called the Matrix, made a big impression on me. So did the […]
Read more on Cyberpunks and the matrix: Online Kyiv offline | Reply
25th November 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Sports of all kinds are popular in Ukraine. I’ve blogged before about that fact that at my 1:1 lunches, some of Ukraine’s top decision-makers are ready to have a quick game of table-tennis (a trend which continues – Ed) and about Kyiv’s fishing frenzy. So it’s an honour to have to lunch at the residence […]
Read more on A sport anyone in Ukraine can "Tri" | Reply
23rd November 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
There’s nothing like meeting lively young people to fuel your optimism about a country. So I’m delighted to accept an invitation from Kyiv School No.92 to meet English language students of the 9th and 10th forms. I come away full of confidence in the intellectual capacity, dynamism and enthusiasm of young people in Ukraine. What […]
Read more on Why school No.92 is brilliant | Reply
17th November 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Ukraine and the European Union made good progress in October during the latest round of negotiations on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA). Another round is due in December: both sides are hoping it will go equally well, with a view to concluding the DCFTA possibly as early as mid-2011. Conclusion of a […]
Read more on Should Ukraine protect Horilka as intellectual property? | Reply
16th November 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
How does the life expectancy of the average Ukrainian compare with the world average – or that of any other country? To find out, check out this brilliant World Bank web-site. All you have to do is to click on “world” or on the country of your choice in the list on the left-hand side […]
Read more on Boosting Ukrainian healthcare | Reply
15th November 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I often host events in Kyiv highlighting and promoting the growing number of young Ukrainians who are obtaining top quality academic degrees through studying in UK universities or through distance programmes, including MBAs which are delivered through UK-Ukrainian partnerships. But we recently hosted a British Council event designed to promote the equally important area of […]
Read more on Boosting skills for employability in Ukraine | Reply
12th November 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The British and Canadian embassies in Kyiv organised a short ceremony at the Park of Glory on 11 November to mark Remembrance Day. There was a good turnout. The ceremony, which included prayers, poems, the Act of Remembrance, the Last Post, a two minute silence and the laying of wreaths, took place under a clear […]
Read more on Remembrance Day in Kyiv | Reply
11th November 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I was recently privileged to attend the Champions League match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Arsenal at the splendid Donbass Arena in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. As with all Champions League and Europa League matches in Ukraine, the embassy put in place consular arrangements including a small team travelling from Kyiv to Donetsk. Representatives of the Metropolitan Police also came […]
Read more on Dynamism in Donetsk | Reply
11th November 2010
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
When I first arrived in Moscow on my posting to Russia in December 1992 I had a terrific view from my 13th-floor window of a sea of apartment blocks, beyond which a blood-red sun sank towards the dark horizon sometime in mid-afternoon. As darkness fell, I was astonished to see that almost every single light […]
Read more on Save Energy! Save Money! Win Prizes! | Reply