Conservative Friends of Turkey
“On this 94th year since the Republic of Turkey was founded, I bring you my warmest wishes on behalf of the Conservative Party. Across our cities, towns and villages, the British-Turkish community makes a brilliant contribution to the UK’s culture and economy. I am proud to be a friend and cherish your place in our great country.”
The Rt Hon Sir Patrick McLoughlin MP
Chairman of the Conservative Party
Conservative Friends of Turkey held a reception at the Party Conference on 1 Oct 2017.
Speakers Lord Balfe and H.E. Turkish Ambassador Abdurrahman Bilgic discussed the future of economic and political relations between the UK and Turkey after Brexit.
Ambassador Bilgic said Turkey and UK have established a trade working group and they will consider all available options, including the possibility of signing a Free Trade Agreement.
Lord Balfe spoke about his decades long involvement in Turkey and EU affairs. He emphasised the importance of keeping the relationship strong and that being a friend to Turkey means being in touch with all sections of the society, e.g. delegations should involve the opposition party as well.
We will be at the Conservative Party Conference with a stand in the Party Zone and a fringe event on the first day:
CFT Party Conference Reception
Sunday 1 Oct 19:30 – 21:00
Manchester Central, Exchange 4-5
(Secure zone, you’ll need a security pass)
Canapes and Turkish wine
With opening remarks by Gonul Daniels (parliamentary candidate for Edmonton in 2015 and 2017), keynote speakers Lord Balfe of Dulwich (vice chair of All-Party Parliamentary Group for Turkey and CFT Founder Member) and HE Turkish Ambassador Abdurrahman Bilgic will give us insights into past/present/future of UK-Turkey relations including business ties.
As usual please do stop by the stand any time and we’d be delighted to have a chat.
Hope to see you in Manchester!
“Well Minister Omer, if I may, My good friend Omer Celik. Thank you very much indeed for your warm welcome and I’m delighted to be back here, as you say, for the fifth time since the coup attempt. I hope that illustrates not only my personal commitment to Turkey but also that of the entire United Kingdom government.
The world is a difficult and dangerous place and I think that the friendship between the United Kingdom and Turkey is an essential relationship in that difficult world. And we work together as friends and we speak to each other as friends, sometimes directly on issues that matter, some difficult issues. But always on the basis of trust.
I went just now to the Parliament building, which I went to straight from the airport when I visited just a couple of days after the coup attempt last year. And on that occasion a year ago I saw the bombed out bits of the Parliament building and I went back just now to the very same place in order once again to reaffirm the United Kingdom’s understanding of what you went through during the coup attempt and indeed the steps that need to be taken following the coup attempt to restore civility, order and secure a government in the country.
We of course are clear in our view that we want to see proportionate and sensible responses to the challenges you faced within the context of a properly working judicial and democratic system. And that is what we have said from the start and will of course continue to say.”