16th August 2013
Here’s my first video blog in Turkish. It’s about why language matters; and what I’m doing in Turkey. Comments welcome!
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2nd August 2013
Most of us should feel happy about getting older – as they say, it’s better than the alternative. But some of us can feel happier about it than others. To find out why, check out this fascinating Google web-site based on World Bank statistics. It shows life expectancy at birth, ie how long you can […]
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15th July 2013
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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21st May 2013
The eyes follow you wherever you look. The gaze is bold, beautiful and serene. But the image is 1,500 years older than the Mona Lisa. Gaziantep, a city of 1.3 million people close to the Turkish border with Syria, is often called an “Anatolian Tiger” because of its rapid growth over the past few years. […]
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10th May 2013
What is GREAT and all over Istanbul? The answer is the GREAT campaign to deepen business and education links between Britain and Turkey. I wrote about the launch of the GREAT campaign last month. That included the goals of doubling trade between the UK and Turkey in both directions by 2015, boosting investment and encouraging […]
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7th May 2013
It’s not called the ‘tunnel of doom’ for nothing. Half-way through the Anzob tunnel which links the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, to second city Khudzand in the north, the cladding of the tunnel is replaced by bare rocks. The surface becomes a pot-holed morass of broken concrete and projecting steel reinforcing rods. Water cascades from […]
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18th April 2013
A guest blog by Timothy Fisher, HM Consul at the British Consulate General in İstanbul, Turkey. With 2.5m British visitors and 40,000 British residents in Turkey, Consular work (helping British nationals in need overseas) is a key part of our work in Turkey. Therefore I was delighted to start work as Consul and Director of […]
18th April 2013
Summer is coming. The number of people wanting to travel is rising. That’s great, particularly for those of you travelling to the United Kingdom – we’re looking forward to seeing you. The fact that there are lots of people travelling means that here in Istanbul we are processing more visas. To help ensure we provide […]
17th April 2013
G8 Foreign Ministers came together in London last week to discuss conflict resolution and the prevention of sexual violence. With the current turmoil on its south eastern border, Turkey needs no reminding of the suffering conflict can cause. William Hague has described Syria as potentially the “worst humanitarian catastrophe” of the 21st century. Last weekend’s […]
9th April 2013
What do Nicole Scherzinger, Arzu Kaprol, Keira Knightley, Harvey Nichols, Katy Perry and Deniz Berdan have in common? They’re all involved in Turkish fashion. Nicole Scherzinger wears Cengiz Abazoğlu. Arzu Kaprol is an award-winning designer with a corner at Harrods. Keira Knightley wears Bora Aksu. Harvey Nichols has two stores in Turkey packed with British […]