Dear guests,
Upon assuming my duties as the 54th Turkish ambassador in the United Kingdom, I would like to share my pleasure in undertaking this privileged mission. I shall be determined to advance and further strengthen the relations between our two countries, which date back over 500 years to the early 16th century when the first contacts between the Ottoman Empire and Britain developed in the field of commerce, and since then have been developing in all fields, contributing to the wide spreading of Turkey’s rich culture. The historical special ties between our two countries provide for the solid ground and the necessary potential to enhance and expand the friendly relations in every field to the mutual benefit of our respective nations.
Britain was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the Ottoman Empire. William Harborne was the first UK ambassador who assumed his duties at the Sublime Port in 1583. Ottoman Empire, on the other hand, appointed its first ambassador to a foreign country starting with Britain and Yusuf Agah Efendi became the first Ottoman Ambassador in London in 1793. As the first Ottoman Sultan to visit Western Europe, Sultan Abdulaziz visited Britain in 1867. King Edward VIII visited Republican Turkey in 1936 as the official guest of President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
The spirit of our shared history was well captured by the message written by Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II in the visitors’ book at the Turkish memorial in Gallipoli during her visit to Turkey in 1971: “A fitting memorial to those who died in the Gallipoli campaign, in which our two nations gained a lasting respect for one another.” Turkish-British relations have continued to develop in all areas of significance, such as trade and industry, tourism, culture and defence, and gained a new momentum with the visit of Her Majesty the Queen, 37 years after Her first visit to Turkey in May 2008.
As NATO allies for almost six decades, Turkey and Britain stand shoulder to shoulder and continue to work together to promote peace, security and stability in a wide geography spanning from the Balkans to the Middle East and to Afghanistan, to cooperate in the fight against terrorism and to bring about a solution to the Cyprus question as two guarantor powers. They are also members in many international organisations such as OECD, OSCE, WTO, G-20 and the Council of Europe. The election of Turkey as a non-permanent member to the UN Security Council for the term 2009-2010 is an evidence of the confidence that the international community has placed on the foreign policy pursued by Turkey. During its term, Turkey’s efforts continue to be devoted to maintaining and enhancing global security, stability and prosperity through cooperation, aiming at making the world a more peaceful place for all of humanity.
The UK has always been one of the countries that strongly supported, with a visionary approach, Turkey’s accession process in the European Union towards full membership and I have all the evidence from the statements of leading and prominent statesmen that this will continue to be so. Turkey and Europe have closely interacted for more than 700 years. Relations have always been close, interdependent and inseparable. Today, ranking 15th largest economy in the world and 6th largest in Europe, Turkey has so much to offer and contribute to the EU in its strive for becoming an effective and powerful global actor capable of confronting also tomorrow’s risks and challenges.
An approximate number of 400,000 UK residents of Turkish origin constitute a special and strong human bond and cultural bridge between our two countries. I am pleased to observe that the invaluable members of the Turkish community, who take part successfully in almost all walks of life and in prominent roles, such as businessmen, academics and politicians in this country, make significant contributions to the multicultural British society. I am sure that the members of the Turkish community will continue to display an increasing willingness to enhance their rightfully thriving place within the UK as well as to improve solidarity among them.
The economic and commercial relations between Turkey and Britain have steadily developed over the years. The UK is one of the leading trade partners of Turkey. Our bilateral trade volume has reached an annual level of £7 billion. In 2009, Britain ranked 3rd in Turkey’s exports and 8th in imports. Britain is one of the leading countries investing in Turkey with over 2.000 British firms whereas almost 17.000 Turkish businesses operate in Britain. Approximately 2 and a half million British tourists are visiting Turkey every year and this figure is expected to continue its upward trend in 2010. Over 30.000 of them have bought properties in Turkey.
In recent years, Turkey and the UK have further enhanced their already developed cultural relations. The UK is the second destination for Turkish students studying abroad. London School of Economics, School of Oriental and African Studies, Oxford University, Edinburgh University and Exeter University have launched Turkish Studies Programs.
I strongly believe that these multifaceted relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries and peoples will be further advanced in the future and I will actively contribute to it during my tenure.
On behalf of my colleagues at the Turkish Embassy and myself, I extend our best wishes to the visitors of our website. |