Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

25th February 2015 Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

David Campbell

by David Campbell

Pangolin Protectors

Last year the UK hosted governments from around the world to galvanise international action to combat the illegal trade in wild animals – The London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade. Botswana will be hosting a follow-up conference in Gabarone next month. One animal under particular threat in this part of Asia is the pangolin. To […]

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25th February 2015 Vientiane, Laos

Philip Malone

by Philip Malone

Ambassador to Lao PDR

Another BIG year ahead

Philip Malone

2015 is under way and is already shaping up to be another big year for us at the British Embassy. We’re well into our third year of operation since our historic re-opening in 2012. When I look at the range and breadth of our activity in recent months, I’m reminded of how well established we […]

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25th February 2015 Canberra, Australia

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by Tony Brennan

Deputy High Commissioner

Keeping the ship afloat

Regular readers of this blog will know that High Commissioner Paul Madden has now left Australia. His successor will arrive here in April, meaning that I, as Deputy High Commissioner, get to spend a couple of months rejoicing in the title of “Chargé d’Affaires ad interim”. My aim in this period is to ensure that […]

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24th February 2015

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by Edward Ferguson

British Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia

The case for NATO

Last week I got back from NATO Headquarters in Brussels. In January, the UK took over from Turkey as the lead NATO Embassy here in Sarajevo, so I went to learn about NATO’s priorities and challenges in our fast-changing and increasingly complex world. There’s a lot on NATO’s plate as it configures itself to respond […]

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23rd February 2015

Paul Brummell, British Ambassador to Romania

by Paul Brummell

Head of Soft Power and External Affairs Department, Communication Directorate

Britain and Romania: A partnership between friends

20 February 2015 marks the 135th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Romania. There have been numerous friendships forged during this period. Britons closely involved in the politics of the emerging independent state of Romania in the nineteenth century included the remarkable Maria Rosetti, born Marie Grant, the wife […]

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23rd February 2015 Paris, France

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by Peter Ricketts

Ambassador to France from February 2012 to January 2016.

The Global Law Summit and the legacy of the Magna Carta

Global Law Summit 2015

This year of 2015, we celebrate the 800th anniversary of one of the founding documents of English law, the Magna Carta. This was agreed between King John and his rebel barons in 1215. And actually one of the prominent barons at that time was Prince Louis, who went on to be King Louis VIII of […]

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22nd February 2015

by Peter Tibber

Ambassador to Colombia

50th Anniversary of the State Visit of Queen Elizabeth to Sudan

– Guest blog by Hala Elhaj, Media Officer at the British Embassy in Khartoum –  This month marks the 50th anniversary of the state visit of Queen Elizabeth to Sudan. On the 8th February 1965 Queen Elizabeth landed in Khartoum. She arrived at a time of great political tensions yet despite this Sudan gave Her […]

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