25th July 2024 Geneva, Switzerland
Among my blessings in life is having an Irish mother-in law and I’m just back from a post-Council trip where my wife did some digging into her family history. A good number of her relatives were refugees fleeing persecution in both Eastern and Central Europe from the late 19th Century. Ireland was where they were […]
16th December 2020 Skopje, North Macedonia
Two decades! I cannot believe it, but the photos I am looking at now prove that I ran a marathon at the British Embassy and I am celebrating with a cup of English tea my 20th anniversary. I opened my box of memories and I found so many things that brought me back into the […]
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22nd May 2012 Dublin, Ireland
Guest blog by Iain Stewart, Head of Political at the British Embassy Warsaw. My name is Iain Stewart. I lead the political team within the UK Embassy in Warsaw. What does that mean? Our main role is to explain and promote UK government thinking on the EU and international agenda to a Polish audience. To […]
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30th September 2011
On 27 September, the Holy See Foreign Minister, Archbishop Mamberti, addressed the UN General Assembly in a wide ranging speech on current international issues or, as he put it – reminding us diplomats why we engage in international diplomacy – “the principal questions that concern humanity in the search for a better future for all”. […]
15th September 2011
Today is International Day of Democracy. In the UK we believe that democracy rests on respect for every individual in society, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or other status. In fact this forms an indivisible part of our foreign policy. Through the work of the FCO we support not only electoral processes but […]
5th August 2011
This morning I was at the Budapest Holocaust Museum to meet the new Director and then attend a ceremony and exhibition. The Museum covers a grim topic but is one of the “must-see” venues in our city – a British Parliamentarian (of Jewish origin) visiting last year called it “magnificent”. Not only is it an […]
27th July 2011 Ottawa, Canada
On my most recent trip to London, I had the pleasure of meeting with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office‘s (FCO’s) Chief Scientific Advisor (CSA), Professor David Clary. We took this opportunity to put together a video blog with his thoughts on science diplomacy, while enjoying a bit of sun in St. James’s Park. Here’s what […]
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28th June 2011 Islamabad, Pakistan
On Thursday, I visited the Police Lines headquarters in Islamabad. I was accompanying the UK Foreign Secretary, William Hague, who wanted to pay his respects to the fallen martyrs of the Pakistani police service and to publicly recognise their sacrifices in serving Pakistan and its citizens. Mr Hague laid a wreath at the police monument […]
19th May 2011
”Well, he would [say that] wouldn’t he?” Last week I took part in the 10th Hungarian Business Leaders Forum Financial Summit and found myself on a panel of Ambassadors arguing about the transformational power of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The UK is one of the biggest foreign investors in Hungary, so I might be expected […]
18th April 2011 Bucharest, Romania
The Foreign Office’s annual gathering of heads of mission, called the FCO Leadership Conference, will be dedicated this year to diplomatic excellence. I am privileged to attend this key event in May and to have a first-hand account of what the Foreign Secretary, top British diplomats from missions all across the world, and other colleagues think about […]
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