19th June 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Snow-capped peaks tower over ancient mausoleums. Although they were built by Saltukids in the 12th Century, the steep-roofed tombs are reminiscent of Armenian churches. The nearby Selcuk-era madrasah features both Central Asian-style twin minarets and double-headed Byzantine eagles. Above the city, in a fortress founded by Emperor Theodosius in the 4th century, a newer minaret-like structure […]
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15th June 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
A bunch of English barons challenge the King for power and seize London. To make peace, the King agrees a legal document. But he then asks the Pope repeal it – which the Pope does, declaring it “null and void of all validity forever”. War erupts; the King dies; and a nine-month-old boy becomes head […]
Read more on Politics and power: Why the Magna Carta is still a burning issue | Reply
5th June 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I have the privilege and honour to work as a British diplomat. That means I spend a lot of time learning foreign languages. Before each of my last five postings (in Vienna, Moscow, Berlin, Kyiv and Istanbul) I spent between four weeks and nine months on intensive language preparations. If you want to understand a […]
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29th May 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
I was delighted to spend a couple of hours recently with top Turkish journalist and photographer Ercan Arslan. Ercan had come across my Twitter account @leighturnerFCO and the series #reasonstolikeIstanbul, now at #373. He asked if we could visit a few of the places I’d tweeted about. The result was a piece published in the […]
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25th May 2015
Istanbul, Turkey
Three years ago today, a massacre took place in the Syrian village of Taldou in Houla, in northern Syria. According to the UN, 108 civilians were brutally murdered, including 34 women and 49 children. More even than the death toll, the clear sectarian nature of the killings sparked an international outcry. The UN and twelve other […]
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20th April 2015
London, UK
Later this month we will all commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Canakkale or Gallipoli campaign. It will be a magnificent occasion with many heads of state from around the world attending at President Erdogan’s invitation. HRH The Prince of Wales will represent HM The Queen and he will be accompanied by HRH Prince Harry and […]
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26th March 2015
Istanbul, Turkey
This week marked the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims. The recent release of photographs by the Syrian army defector known as ‘Caesar’ shows the tortured bodies of thousands of detainees, giving the international community a timely reminder of the concealed truth […]
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20th March 2015
London, UK
Valuing diversity, which includes diversity of sexual preference, brings enormous benefits. Clearly people who are able to bring the whole of themselves to work or to social life, including their sexual identity, are likely to be able to be more productive and constructive. However, research from the UK and elsewhere suggests that it is still […]
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9th March 2015
London, UK
I’d like to congratulate Cyprus Academic Dialogue and USAK on the conference “Turkey and Cyprus Regional Peace & Stability” last weekend, at which Mr George Papandreou and Mr Hikmet Çetin spoke. It was fascinating and inspiring to hear Mr Papandreou describe how Greece and Turkey were able, in the late 1990s, to rise above the […]
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20th February 2015
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Next week promises to be a big week for UK-Turkish trade and investment. Lord Livingston, the British Minister of State for Trade and Investment, will visit Turkey from 22-25 February. The Minister will open a GREAT Technology event; hold formal high-level talks with Trade Minister Zeybekci; meet British investors in Turkey, and Turkish investors in […]
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