Tag Archives: UK and Turkey

Foreign Affairs Committee publishes report on UK-Turkey relations

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The Foreign Affairs Committee’s report considers the Government’s efforts to cultivate Turkey as a “strategic partner” for the UK and to support Turkey’s accession to the European Union.

The report concludes that the Government is right to continue to support Turkey’s accession to the European Union, as long as Ankara meets the accession criteria, and subject to the Government imposing restrictions on the right to free movement from Turkey after it joins.

However, at the moment, shortcomings in Turkey’s justice system are leading to human rights abuses and making it harder to advocate Turkey’s EU membership, the Committee said. The Committee found that the current climate in Turkey is limiting freedom of expression and the media.

Committee Chair Richard Ottaway MP said:

“When we visited Turkey, like many visitors we were struck by the country’s economic dynamism and international ambition; but we were also taken aback by much of what we heard about Turkish legal proceedings and practices, which did not seem to us to ensure the kinds of human rights standards that we would want to see from a country that we want to see inside the EU.

We are pleased that the Turkish government seems to be aware of the shortcomings and to be taking some steps to improve matters. We recommend that the FCO should seek every opportunity to help Turkey in practical ways to achieve further improvements in its human rights practices, including as regards freedom of expression and the media.”

Turkey’s EU accession process is in any case stuck: effectively, it is hostage to the Cyprus dispute. The Committee said that, by undermining the force of EU leverage, the stalemate is having consequences that are detrimental to UK objectives in Turkey across a range of fields, including not only human rights but also energy and market access issues. The Committee found this especially regrettable given that Turkish democracy may be in a critical phase, and given the influence that Turkey may have at the moment over reforming Arab states. The Committee also said that, by creating uncertainty over the timing – if not the fact – of Turkey’s EU accession, the stalemate was discouraging both the EU and Turkey from starting to address some of the most difficult issues that would be involved in Turkey’s EU membership.

The Committee found that the Government’s continuing support for Turkey’s EU membership provided a strong basis for the further development of UK-Turkey bilateral relations, which the Government was correct to be pursuing. The Committee said that there was significant potential to expand UK-Turkey economic and commercial relations; and that as a foreign policy partner Turkey could potentially add value to UK foreign policy.

Source: UK Parliament

 

 

UK and Turkey working together in Turkmenistan

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Turkmenistan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. A small country in terms of population (5.2 million), its importance, both commercially and politically, lies in the fact that it has the fourth largest reserves of gas in the world, including the second largest single deposit of 21tcm.

Turkmenistan’s hydrocarbon wealth has allowed the Government to undertake a massive development programme which is transforming the major cities of Ashgabat (the capital), Turkmenbashi (the port on the Caspian Sea), and the creation of a new tourist resort, Avaza, on the Caspian Sea. It is this infrastructure development programme, together with the continuing development of gas fields and a wide range of services, as well as the need to educate and train the Turkmen people, which provide the opportunity for UK companies. The Government has prioritised the development of sporting facilities, including the construction of an “Olympics” complex in Ashgabat, which will host the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in 2017.

Turkish contractors have been at the forefront of all major infrastructure projects and have undertaken projects worth $30 billion since independence in 1991. $3billion worth of projects alone has been signed since the beginning of 2012, making Turkmenistan the largest export market for Turkish contractors. Turkish contractors are very keen to expand their links with UK companies, particularly those in all sectors of consultancy, management and project finance, together with UK goods and equipment companies. UK Export Finance can normally arrange export credit finance to support UK suppliers working for Turkish companies in Turkmenistan.

This seminar will give you the chance to hear from Turkish contractors about their requirements in Turkmenistan and their wider interests in Central Asia, as well as giving you an opportunity to showcase your company.

Source: British Expertise