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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23rd May 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
It’s not often I see a brand of mineral water that sends a frisson down my spine. But it happens in a meeting with the Deputy Economy Minister in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, when we discuss economic prospects for the mountainous and beautiful ex-Soviet Republic. The name of the mineral water, bottled in Kyrgyzstan, […]
Read more on Trade and Investment in Kyrgyzstan – Tien Shan Legend | Reply (1)
21st May 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The eyes follow you wherever you look. The gaze is bold, beautiful and serene. But the image is 1,500 years older than the Mona Lisa. Gaziantep, a city of 1.3 million people close to the Turkish border with Syria, is often called an “Anatolian Tiger” because of its rapid growth over the past few years. […]
Read more on Astonishing Turkey: business, tourist opportunities and Anatolian tigers | Reply (1)
10th May 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
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 […]
Read more on GREAT on the streets of Istanbul… with more to come | Reply (3)
7th May 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
It’s not called the ‘tunnel of doom’ for nothing. Half-way through the Anzob tunnel which links the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, to second city Khudzand in the north, the cladding of the tunnel is replaced by bare rocks. The surface becomes a pot-holed morass of broken concrete and projecting steel reinforcing rods. Water cascades from […]
Read more on Trade, tunnels, transit and training in mountainous Tajikistan | Reply
18th April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A guest blog by Timothy Fisher, HM Consul at the British Consulate General in İstanbul, Turkey. With 2.5m British visitors and 40,000 British residents in Turkey, Consular work (helping British nationals in need overseas) is a key part of our work in Turkey. Therefore I was delighted to start work as Consul and Director of […]
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18th April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Summer is coming. The number of people wanting to travel is rising. That’s great, particularly for those of you travelling to the United Kingdom – we’re looking forward to seeing you. The fact that there are lots of people travelling means that here in Istanbul we are processing more visas. To help ensure we provide […]
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17th April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
G8 Foreign Ministers came together in London last week to discuss conflict resolution and the prevention of sexual violence. With the current turmoil on its south eastern border, Turkey needs no reminding of the suffering conflict can cause. William Hague has described Syria as potentially the “worst humanitarian catastrophe” of the 21st century. Last weekend’s […]
Read more on Helping prevent sexual violence | Reply (1)
9th April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
What do Nicole Scherzinger, Arzu Kaprol, Keira Knightley, Harvey Nichols, Katy Perry and Deniz Berdan have in common? They’re all involved in Turkish fashion. Nicole Scherzinger wears Cengiz Abazoğlu. Arzu Kaprol is an award-winning designer with a corner at Harrods. Keira Knightley wears Bora Aksu. Harvey Nichols has two stores in Turkey packed with British […]
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5th April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Part of my job is to meet current and future opinion-formers in Turkey; to learn from them; and to discuss with them the United Kingdom and our relationship with Turkey. So I always hugely enjoy meeting and talking to the brilliant students who study at Turkish universities. Today I visited Koç University, some way out […]
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3rd April 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
In late March, the sun beats down on metre-deep snow. On slopes above, skiers glide. At a hotel in the town centre, over 500 top Turkish business people and opinion formers have gathered. Welcome to the Uludağ Economic Summit in Bursa – a fantastic launch-pad for the UK-Turkey GREAT campaign. The GREAT campaign is all […]
Read more on Turkish-British partnership hits a high | Reply