#Adiosistanbul 8: big issues

The best thing about working in Istanbul isn’t the history, the architecture or the teeming energy of the city, magnificent though they may be.

No.  For a diplomat, the best thing about working here is that Turkey really matters to the United Kingdom.

A prosperous, successful Turkey can help boost British security and prosperity.  So as Consul-General, I have been tasked with building economic and trade links between our countries.  I and my colleagues in Istanbul, Ankara, and our coastal posts work ceaselessly to boost trade between our countries; to help Turkish companies which want to invest in the UK; and to help strengthen the Turkish and British economies by working together.

In fact, if Turkey wasn’t a major economy with the potential to become even more important in the years ahead, my job wouldn’t exist in its present form.

So what exactly have I been doing for the past four years?  By way of illustration, I’ve chosen a few blogs.

I’ve written many times about the prospects for a Turkish economic miracle, including why Turkey should be confident.  I’ve highlighted the organisations that can help British exporters (including my own organisation, UK Trade and Investment or UKTI), or help finance British exports (UKEF – a nimble and successful outfit); and our work to promote business links between the UK and Turkey in sectors such as port operations or airport construction.  The UK, as the world’s fifth largest economy and one of the best places on earth to do business, will remain closely engaged with the growing Turkish economy over the months and years ahead.

Turkey’s huge potential has led me to wonder why conspiracy theories are so popular here – one of my favourite blogs, along with my top-secret piece on the Welsh Secret Service.

Looking at how to promote business links in both directions, I’ve explored the pleasures and pitfalls of the Turkish language including my video-blogs 1, 2 and 3 (see if you can spot any progress) and my popular 77 million reasons to like Turkish blog.  Conversely, I’ve looked at how football can help you learn English (the “Premier Skills English” site is awesome) and the great free English language resources on the web .

I’ve also blogged about how UKTI works to boost trade and investment not only between Turkey and the UK, but with other nearby countries – for example encouraging British and Turkish companies to work together in Turkmenistan,Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and across the whole region.

Turkish companies, like others around the world, are keen to invest in the UK.  You can read about concrete examples of Turkish companies in the UK, both large and small, and how British and Turkish companies work together in sectors such as fashion, lifestyle, jewellery and cosmetics.  And I’ve highlighted our work to promote UK-Turkey trade and investment in Turkey’s “Anatolian Tiger” cities.  I’ve also noted why British manufacturing is so competitive – including Rolls Royce.

More widely, I’ve looked at educational and cultural links between Britain and Turkey, illustrated by famous Turkish writers such as Elif Shafak or the awesome Chevening Scholarship Scheme to help top Turkish scholars study in the UK (are you eligible?  Click on the link to find out more).

Part of our work in Turkey is to help boost economic growth through what we call prosperity work.  Over the past four years, that has included promoting British legal and arbitration services; joint research and development on energy and resource-efficient manufacturing; and what Turkey might do to boost inward investment, including the importance of a level playing field and independent institutions, with a good example of where this was successful.  I’ve written several blogs on why freedom of expression is important, including for economic growth, including the famous quote “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”  and the challenges of press freedom which link Turkey and Iceland.

Women’s issues also come under prosperity: more equality boosts economic performance in every country, and Turkey has many talented women business leaders.  We’ve also made progress in our own British Diplomatic Service.  In the same context, I’ve blogged about violence against women – a grim expression of gender inequality.

Other blogs which show the breadth of work we do here in Turkey have included several on consular work, including citizenship ceremonies and providing advice to Brits who live in Turkey, and helping people stay in touch with us.  I’ve written on some of the charity initiatives the Consulate has organised, including a contribution to the Turkish Red Crescent’s Safe Blood Supply Programme in 2013.  And, finally, I’ve written about some of our sad memories, such as our commemoration of those colleagues who lost their lives in the 2003 bombing of the Consulate.

I hope these blogs, like my tweets at @leighturnerFCO, have helped show both the breadth of the work I and my colleagues do here in Turkey – and also the affection and respect in which we hold this extraordinary and wonderful country.

Please continue to follow Leigh Turner on Twitter, after he moves to Vienna, on @leighturnerFCO – and please start following his successor, @judithslaterFCO, who starts here in September.