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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 June 2016

#Adiosistanbul 6: the Bosphorus

The Bosphorus stands out amongst #reasonstolikeistanbul.  It’s central; spectacular; and every Istanbullu craves a “Boğaz manzarası” (Bosphorus view).

This matters for the Turkish economy.  Not only tourists are attracted by great views.  Quality of life is a key to attracting the mobile economic talent and inward investment which is vital for any economy.

How can I put this politely?  Not every aspiring financial centre has the outstanding natural beauty, or geographical advantages, of Istanbul.

I’ve sent a lot of #reasonstolikeIstanbul tweets about the Bosphorus.  A few are here:

  1. Crossing the Bosphorus on a December morning

bosphorus1

  1. Bosphorus bridge – and full moon

bosphorus2

  1. A summer sunset

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  1. Cruise liner and jet-skis

bosphorus4

Of course it takes more than natural beauty to become a global economic hub.  I set out some key issues in my recent blogs Business in Turkey: good news (about the importance of a “level playing field” for all businesses); Creating an environment for foreign investment: what “independent” means (about the importance of the rule of law) and, of course, How to get (even) more investment in Turkey.

But a beautiful natural environment helps!

I’d welcome readers’ suggestions on other aspects of the Bosphorus which are #reasonstolikeistanbul.

PS People have been admiring the Bosphorus for a long time.  Russian speakers may recall the elegiac song Никогда я не был на Босфоре (roughly translated as “I never saw the beauty of the Bosphorus”).  The song, and the video at the link, are of course a matter of taste.

Follow Leigh Turner on Twitter @leighturnerFCO

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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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