5th February 2013
This time last year I wrote a blog about freedom of the media in Ukraine reporting on the latest press freedom index released by the international media watchdog Reporters Without Borders. So I was intrigued to see Reporters without Borders publish their 2013 World Press Freedom Index recently. Since I arrived in Turkey a few months ago, Turkish journalists […]
31st January 2013
A tear-drop forest of twisted rock-forms rears up, stretching into the distance. Each fantastic shape has been hollowed out over the millennia by unknown hands to form dwellings, monasteries or, between the 4th and 11th century, painted churches. Welcome to Cappadocia. We all know that Turkey teems with outstanding historic and tourist sites. Yet Cappadocia, […]
28th January 2013
Why is the Turkish company HDM Steel setting up a £7m manufacturing plant in South Wales? Take a look at the world. Think about countries where you might possibly imagine investing your money. Do they have a solid record on stability and democracy? Do they rank highly on ease of doing business, with a predictable […]
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25th January 2013
In the second season of the excellent US series “The Wire”, a trade unionist working on the Baltimore docks says he’s just seen a film about Rotterdam – one of the most automated container ports in the world. He calls it a horror movie. I thought of “The Wire” during the recent “Container Handling Technology […]
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21st January 2013
A guest blog by Peter Spoor, Head Press and Projects Team at the British Embassy in Ankara, Turkey My first impression on exiting the airport departure lounge is intense cold. I’m in Erzurum, where winter temperatures can drop below minus 25 degrees. I’m in town with colleagues from the Turkish EU Ministry to make the […]
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18th January 2013
This January figures were published showing that Turkish gas imports had hit an all-time high. So the timing of the UK-Turkey Knowledge Partnership Conference at the British Consulate General in Istanbul on 17 January to examine Energy and Resource Efficiency in Manufacturing could not have been better. Turkey is an increasingly important research and manufacturing […]
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16th January 2013
How can British companies best approach the Turkish market? Which sectors are most promising? Are there case studies? What on-line services are available? You can find the answers to all these questions and more in the splendid UK Trade and Investment in Turkey brochure. This includes: A summary of services which UKTI can provide to […]
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14th December 2012
Where in the world can you buy Istanbul Pale Ale (IPA) with water made to a Burton on Trent recipe to wash down fish and chips made with beer batter? And why is 81 a good name for a beer in Turkey? I was delighted recently to be invited to the opening of the Bosphorus Brewing Company […]
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13th December 2012
A guest blog by Louise Taylor, EU Political Officer at the British Embassy in Ankara, Turkey As EU Political Officer, I have been following Turkey’s EU accession process closely since I arrived in Ankara last March. So I am pleased to see that EU Ministers agreed positive conclusions at the General Affairs Council on Enlargement on […]
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16th November 2012
One of the things I know for sure after attempting to learn many languages over many years is that each person learns languages differently. Here in Istanbul there are countless institutions teaching English. Many are excellent. But did you know that there are also some fantastic interactive English language-learning sites on the Internet available free […]