2nd July 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
In the joint communiqué signed between the British Government and the Holy See in February this year, both sides committed to “working together to combat intolerance and discrimination based on religion, wherever it is manifest”. This was a significant promise. What does it mean in practice? In essence, it means working together multilaterally and internationally […]
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29th June 2012
London, UK
I’ve been thinking about how Pakistan is another area where EU collective action and UK foreign policy complement each other in a country that matters to us. As the world’s largest single market, diplomacy based on trade is a major strength for the EU. As a block formed of 27 states, the EU is able […]
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16th May 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The images are powerful. A woman prisoner displays bruises which she says were caused by mistreatment by prison guards. Allegations by ex-prime minister Yuliya Tymoshenko that she was physically mistreated by prison guards, followed by counter-claims by prison authorities that this never happened, have caused controversy in the rest of Europe. In an intense cycle […]
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30th April 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
On 30 April the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, launched the FCO’s Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report for 2011. This is one of the British Government’s major annual human rights events, highlighting our global human rights priorities. It is intended to increase awareness of the UK’s role in promoting human rights worldwide, as well as […]
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25th April 2012
London, UK
On Monday EU Foreign Ministers decided to suspend all EU sanctions against Burma, apart from the arms embargo. This extraordinary decision is very welcome. The British Government has worked tirelessly to build a solid and coherent EU foreign policy towards Burma. We believe that when a nation, like Burma, reacts to international pressure and begins […]
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5th April 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Will Ukraine seize the once-in-a-generation opportunity of Euro 2012 to showcase its European credentials? How about the October parliamentary elections – a litmus test for democracy in Ukraine? These questions are the subject of a powerful article by the British Minister for Europe, David Lidington, in the Ukrainian newspaper “Den” on 5 April.
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4th April 2012
Dublin, Ireland
It has been a busy few weeks. A few highlights. Working with some great British companies particularly during the visit of Susan Haird (Deputy CEO of UKTI). There are some big opportunities, not least in the energy field where there is great interest in exploiting the shale gas and civil nuclear opportunities and in infrastructure, […]
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5th March 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany have published an important article in the International Herald Tribune about Ukraine. In the article, the authors note that they see themselves as Ukraine’s allies and are convinced that closer political and economic ties, as well as people-to-people contacts, between the […]
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5th March 2012
Islamabad, Pakistan
I have been Political Counsellor at the British High Commission in Islamabad since December 2011. This is my first posting to South Asia. Before coming to Pakistan, I was Head of Human Rights and Democracy Department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, and before that I served in Moscow, Paris, New York and […]
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19th September 2011
Geneva, Switzerland
It’s been a tiring week. The Council has been busy enough but it hasn’t helped that our 6-month old seems to have lost the knack of sleeping at night for more than about 30 minutes at a time. My own dad, over from the UK, sees this as his own private revenge for the years […]
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