Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Blogs

A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy

5th November 2010

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by Greg Dorey

Diplomat

Blogjam of visits

We knew that there would be huge interest from the UK in Hungary in the run-up to their EU Presidency in the first half of next year. And so it is proving. The focus started, I suppose, with the highly successful visit of Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in […]

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4th November 2010

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by Martin Harris

British Ambassador to Ukraine

Alba Iulia: Romania’s heritage, Romania’s future

Last month I joined a group of ambassadors visiting the vast and impressive Vauban Fortress at Alba Iulia. As a historian I found this a fascinating place to visit. All the different eras of Romanian history are represented here – the original Dacian settlement, the Roman legionary fortress and the magnificent Habsburg citadel in the […]

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2nd November 2010 Chevening, UK

The LSE style

El estilo LSE – the third blog from one of our 2 Chevening scholars and part-time bloggers, Rina Paredes. Siendo una total y completa novata en Europa y su sistema educativo, a poco más de un mes de iniciar mi maestría en LSE, puedo decir que estoy acostumbrándome al ritmo de estudios y al gran […]

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2nd November 2010 Chevening, UK

One week in the city that never stops surprising

Un registro más, qué importa…The second blog from Rina Paredes from Peru Finalmente instalada en Londres, hoy cumplo una semana en esta ciudad que nunca se cansará de sorprenderme. Luego de pasar dos semanas al norte, rodeada solo de angloparlantes, esta semana me instalé en la ciudad más cosmopolita del mundo y conocí mi casa […]

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1st November 2010

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by Martin Harris

British Ambassador to Ukraine

Cluj – Romania’s Silicon Valley

This week, I made my first official visit outside Bucharest, and chose to go to Cluj- one of the largest cities in Transylvania. Why Cluj? Because this town is becoming one of the hottest centres for IT software development. European and UK companies are getting a piece of the action. Have you had an SMS […]

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29th October 2010 New York, USA

Celebrating British talent in the States

Congratulations to Glenda Bailey OBE and Tony Walton who became the first recipients of the St George‘s Society Anglo-American Cultural Awards this week. The glittering event, on October 25, began with the first US performance of Stephen Sondheim’s Evening Primrose, starring celebrated British actress Angela Lansbury CBE. The night also featured performances from Alan Cumming OBE and Jim Dale […]

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29th October 2010

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by Greg Dorey

Diplomat

"No man is an island": Developments in development

Having worked and lived in various countries, but in particular during several years spent in Pakistan (where I also worked on development issues in Afghanistan), I am strongly convinced of the critical importance for us all of international development work. And specifically the need to implement the 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDG). In recent months, […]

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29th October 2010

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by Leigh Turner

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

Kyiv fishing frenzy

People in Kyiv love fishing.  Whether in the summer, with blow-up boats dotting the Dnieper or in the winter with stoic mummified forms monitoring blow-holes in the frozen river, fishermen (sic) are everywhere. It’s no surprise, then, to find that British companies producing fishing gear are making a big impact in Ukraine. When I visit […]

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28th October 2010

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by Martin Harris

British Ambassador to Ukraine

SMALL reform law – BIG impact

President Basescu promulgated a law on speeding up judicial procedures on Monday. This has been termed ‘the small reform law’, but its significance is big, and its adoption is very welcome news. Over this summer, Romania took a number of steps to reform of its justice system and tackle corruption. This latest one will support […]

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28th October 2010

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by Leigh Turner

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

Чому безпека України важлива для Великої Британії

Як Велика Британія може захистити свою безпеку? Чому безпека Великої Британії має значення для Україні і навпаки? Для відповіді на ці запитання у Посольстві Великої Британії в Україні 22 жовтня було організовано круглий стіл з ключовими українськими експертами у галузі безпеки. Серед учасників: представники Адміністрації Президента, Міністерства оборони, Міністерства закордонних справ, Ради національної безпеки та […]

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