Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

15th July 2013 Warsaw, Poland

Martin Oxley, Head, UKTI Poland

by Martin Oxley

Director of UKTI Warsaw

Business is GREAT – Polish companies visit the UK and find a plethora of business opportunity in the UK’s automotive sector

The UK has a GREAT automotive sector. British engineering is at the heart of Formula 1 the leading global icon of motoring excellence and innovation. Over the last 10 years the automotive supply chain in Poland has flourished. Poland is now a well established partner in the UK’s global automotive supply chain. We thought the […]

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15th July 2013

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by Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Why Britain likes Turkey – and links to third markets

Why does Britain like Turkey?  Most of all, it’s because we want to have Turkey as a democratic, stable and prosperous partner. The more democratic, stable and prosperous Turkey becomes, the better for Britain.  That’s partly because countries which embrace free markets and foreign investment are good trading partners, and trade makes everyone better-off.  It’s […]

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12th July 2013

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by Nigel Baker

Ambassador to the Holy See (2011-2016)

Diplomacy and Faith

I spent part of this week in London looking at the interaction between diplomacy and faith. In particular, I attended one of the Foreign Office’s flagship series of debates, ‘The Jubilee Dialogues’, which bring together leading thinkers to discuss some of the major drivers behind transformation in societies across the world. The subject of the […]

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12th July 2013

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by Paul Johnston

Ambassador to Ireland

Srebrenica: International justice: Coming of age?

On 11 July 1995 Bosnian Serb forces massacred 8000 Bosniak men and boys in what the UN had designated as the “safe area” of Srebrenica. The International Criminal Tribunal on the former Yugoslavia ruled in 2004 that Srebrenica had been an act of genocide. My first job in the Foreign Office was as desk officer for […]

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12th July 2013

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by Peter Beckingham

Former governor in Turks and Caicos Islands

Farewell to Mumbai (Part 1): Millionaires moving forward

The strongest impression on most overseas visitors to Mumbai are the contrasts: between the lavish apartment buildings and the slums around the airport, between the exotic stores selling $2000 saris and the street food vendors outside offering 10 rupee snacks, between the packed trains arriving in the mainline stations and the air-conditioned luxury cars cruising the streets. […]

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11th July 2013 Ottawa, Canada

uStrathclyde and uDalhousie sign Wave and Tidal Energy MoU

The University of Strathclyde in Scotland signed a Tidal and Wave Energy research Memorandum of Understanding with Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia on the 5th of July. (See press release here) In a ceremony near Glasgow, Scotland, members of the Scottish and Nova Scotia governments witnessed Strathclyde executive dean of engineering Scott MacGregor and Dalhousie […]

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11th July 2013 London, UK

A uniquely interesting place to work on digital – come join us

The FCO’s Digital Strategy, published last December, set an ambitious vision: a Foreign Office that makes full use of digital tools to enhance foreign policy formulation; and a Foreign Office that provides its consular services digitally by default, delivering more effective services and allowing us to spend more time on the most vulnerable Brits abroad. […]

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11th July 2013

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by Greg Dorey

Diplomat

World Population Day

According to the latest statistics, the world population has passed the 7 billion mark. This fast accelerating number raises a number of important issues – and the United Nations has selected an interesting theme for this year from the potential list. The organisation wants to address the issue of adolescent pregnancy, which directly feeds the […]

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10th July 2013 San Francisco, USA

Invisibility Cloaks: No Longer Exclusive to the Wizarding World

I know what you’re thinking – this is a blog for the Science and Innovation Network. What’s next, a post on fire-breathing dragons? But in fact, over the course of the past decade the concept of invisibility cloaks has turned from fiction to science. Much to the dismay of Harry Potter fans across the globe, however, […]

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10th July 2013

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Still pretty sunny in Western Australia

There has been much talk of the resources investment boom passing its peak. But in Perth things still feel pretty good. I called on Premier Colin Barnett, re-elected in a handsome victory since my last visit, and some of his ministers. I attended the Australian Gas Technology Conference and Expo and met a number of […]

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