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Leigh Turner

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

Part of UK in Turkey

13th February 2013

Helping British Businesses from Istanbul to Bishkek to Moscow and beyond

In the Palm Court of the British Consulate-General in Istanbul, staff are gathered from British Embassies in eight South Caucasus and Central Asian countries1 ranging from Georgia in the west to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in the east.  Trade and Investment specialists from the British Embassy in Moscow and from UK Trade and Investment in London as well as UKTI and prosperity teams from the British Embassy in Ankara and the Consulate-General in Istanbul itself are also present.

Crispin Simon, Managing Director Trade Development at UKTI London, addresses the conference
Crispin Simon, Managing Director Trade Development at UKTI London, addresses the conference

The reason we’re here is to launch a new phase of intensified cooperation between UK Trade and Investment staff in Turkey and the missions in the South Caucasus and Central Asia.  Many Turkish businesses are active in the region.  The frequency of flight connections with Istanbul, the resources available to the Turkey network and the need to maximise the quality of support offered to British businesses wanting to work throughout the region means it makes sense to look at closer cooperation.

Whether that support comes direct from London, from posts in the region, from Moscow, Istanbul or Ankara is secondary:  what matters is making sure we provide the best service we can.

By the end of our discussion it’s keen there’s a thirst in all our missions to do more to promote British business and commercial activity across the region.  Watch this space to see how that develops in the months ahead.

1 For non-specialists, these are Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

2 comments on “Helping British Businesses from Istanbul to Bishkek to Moscow and beyond

  1. I will be interested to join that kind of meeting at Istanbul consulate.also I can be interested to represent british companies in Turkey.you can see my profile at linkedin.I wiss you successful meetings.

  2. Leigh,

    Well done for this.

    At TheCityUK we see the value of regional hubs, which is why we are working with Istanbul and Moscow to help develop their financial centres. In response to member interest we have established a working group on Turkey and have expanded our Russia Group to include the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

    We look forward to working with you and your colleagues in taking this initiative forward.

    Wayne Evans
    International Strategy Adviser
    TheCityUK

Comments are closed.

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.