This blog post was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

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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

10th May 2013

GREAT on the streets of Istanbul… with more to come

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What is GREAT and all over Istanbul?

The answer is the GREAT campaign to deepen business and education links between Britain and Turkey.

I wrote about the launch of the GREAT campaign last month. That included the goals of doubling trade between the UK and Turkey in both directions by 2015, boosting investment and encouraging the brightest and best Turkish students to come and study in British universities.

Now we’re taking the messages further with posters across Istanbul showing the main themes of the campaign including “Business is GREAT”, “Innovation is GREAT”, “Creativity is GREAT” and “Knowledge is GREAT”.

We’ll be doing more GREAT-themed stuff at the Europe Day celebrations on Istiklal in Istanbul on 11 May. Come and join us! And watch out for more GREAT-themed events over the year ahead.

PS Special offer! If any reader spots more than ten GREAT posters around Istanbul do tell me by commenting on this blog or by tweeting a message to @leighturnerFCO and I will be delighted to extend a message of congratulation.

3 comments on “GREAT on the streets of Istanbul… with more to come”

  1. Dear Your Excellency

    MTS and Nabarros Law Firm are travelling to Istanbul on Sunday 14th-Tuesday 16th July to review opportunities for the local firm BT and TAA Law to work in collabroation with us to work alongside the Ministry of Health for the PPP Hosptial Schemes in Turkey. Thought that this might be of interest as part of the GREAT Campaign.

    We would be interested in a meeting.

    Yours sincerely

    Mrs Ruth Strickland

    1. Dear Ruth

      Glad you were able to meet up with our team at the British Consulate-General in Istanbul during your visit. Do let us know if we can help further in any way.

      Best wishes

      Leigh Turner

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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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