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28th March 2014 London, UK
Marking the Foreign Secretary’s 200,000 twitter follower
This week the Foreign Secretary William Hague welcomed student Gopal Rao to the Foreign Office. The meeting was the result of a competition launched by the Foreign Secretary earlier in the year to thank his 200,000 Twitter followers for their comments, engagement and ideas. The prize – a meeting with him and the chance to […]
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28th March 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
New Australian Governor General
I was in Parliament this morning for the swearing-in of the new Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove, the much-decorated soldier and former Chief of the Defence Force. It was a solemn and symbolic occasion, but the speeches afterwards were warm and full of good humour. Sir Peter quoted Wellington, the famous British general turned statesman. […]
27th March 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Defending freedom of religion or belief worldwide
Earlier this week, the Senior Minister of State and Minister for Faith, Baroness Warsi, held the first meeting of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Advisory Group on freedom of religion and belief. The group usefully supplements the FCO’s regular dialogues with religious leaders by bringing together lay experts from a wide spectrum of faiths […]
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27th March 2014 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Navruz
This year I attended the official celebration of Navruz in Tashkent. Last year I was away with my family in Khorezm and missed it. Like the festive event for Independence Day, it features music and dancing in the presence of the President and other senior figures. But for Navruz the tone is different and reflects […]
27th March 2014 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Civil Servants Visit: Familiarisation, Foreign Policy and Fish and Chips!
Last month, in partnership with the Razak School of Government (RSOG), we sent five of Malaysia’s ‘rising talents’ within its civil service to London for a week-long familiarisation trip. The delegates came from a range of Malaysian government departments: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the Attorney General’s Chambers, the Ministry of Women, Family and […]
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26th March 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria
Charlene’s Dance School
by Charlene Bradford Charlene Bradford moved to Bulgaria eight years ago and settled down in a village close to Karlovo, together with her Bulgarian partner. She fell in love with the country and its people from the very beginning. A few years later when her efforts to find a dancing group for her daughter Gabbi ended without success, […]
26th March 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Doing business in the left lane means doing business in the fast lane
The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in the UK hosted an excellent event in Stockholm this week for Swedish companies thinking of investing in the UK. We had inspirational talks from the MDs of Izettle and Envac, two of the many innovative Swedish companies doing great business in Great Britain. I was delighted to have the […]
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26th March 2014 New Delhi, India
A day at IIT Kanpur
The EU road show which is an information campaign involving member states delivering information seminars across India is in full swing. As a speaker in this road show, I was fortunate to enjoy the magnificent campus and hospitality of one of India’s premium engineering institutes, the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) which is one […]
26th March 2014 London, UK
Europe – a chill wind blowing
From my window in the Foreign Office, you can just about see St James’ Park, and it’s easy on a sunny, spring day to be infused with a sense of optimism and general wellbeing. But elsewhere in Europe, there is a chill in the air. I have just returned from Lithuania and Latvia, where memories […]
26th March 2014
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Travels in the North
I spent most of last week travelling in time and space in Northern and River Nile States. I visited a couple of archaeological sites. I was warmly hosted by the Governors and met a range of people in Dongola and Ed Damar. I visited an impressive investment project. There was some discussion of National Dialogue, […]