Contact Support Us Jobs/Internships Partners

Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott on Turkey and the European Union

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:12 in Discussion Forums
E-mail Print
Tags:

Where: Dialogue Society, London
with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France

Index

Transcript

For full unedited summary please click here

Summary

The existing European Union would benefit from a closer relationship with Turkey on a range of matters, from energy corridors to non-proliferation.

As in 2002, at the very beginning of discussions concerning accession, the current Turkish government sees EU accession talks as a political priority and an important means of helping to leverage reform and modernisation. It continues to seek an active place in the future of the European Union.

There have been significant achievements since the beginning of accession negotiations, notably the elimination of the death penalty and breakthroughs in policy related to Cyprus.

If the process continues for the next ten years current EU members may well feel more comfortable about Turkey's accession. Whether or not accession occurs, the negotiating process will have been useful as a means of promoting economic, political and social progress, and improving links between Turkey and the EU.

Biography of HE Sir Peter Westmacott

Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, was born in the village of Edington, Somerset in the South West of England in December 1950. He was educated at New College Oxford and joined the Diplomatic Service in 1972.

After a year in Middle East Department, and Persian language training, he was posted to Tehran in 1974. In 1978 he was loaned to the European Commission in Brussels, before being posted to Paris from 1980 to 1984.

After 3 years as Chief of Staff to successive Ministers of State in London, he went to Ankara in 1987, for the first of his two diplomatic postings to Turkey.

From 1990 to 1993, he was Deputy Private Secretary to HRH The Prince of Wales.

From 1993 to 1997, Peter was Counsellor for Political and Public Affairs in Washington, before returning to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as Director, Americas.

He joined the Board of the FCO in 2000 as Deputy Under Secretary and returned to Ankara as Ambassador in 2002.

Peter married Susie Nemazee in 2001. Between them they have four grown up children, Oliver, Laura, Rupert and Safieh.

Participants

  • His Excellency Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France
  • Rt Hon Joan Ryan MP, Member of Parliament for Enfield North and founding member of the Labour Friends of Turkey
  • His Excellency Mr Fakhraddin Gurbanov, The Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the UK
  • His Excellency Mr Giorgi Badridze, The Ambassador of Georgia to the UK
  • His Excellency Dr Sami Khiyami, The Ambassador of Syria to the UK
  • Erdem Mutaf, First Counsellor, Turkish Embassy in London
  • Adnan Azak, Chair, Axis Educational Trust
  • Gideon Dewhirst, Deputy Head of Turkey Team, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
  • Joachim Düster, Counsellor, (PA), Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
  • Professor Gulnur Muradoglu, Professor of Finance, Cass Business School, City University
  • Dr Damla Aras, Research Associate at the War Studies, King’s College London
  • Dr George Dedes, Lecturer at the Near and Middle East Department, SOAS
  • Dr Leila Simona Talani, Lecturer in European Studies, King’s College London
  • Dr Turhan Ozen, Chair of the Liberal Democrat Friends of Turkey
  • Mehmet Ugur Ekinci, PhD Candidate at the Department of Politics, SOAS
  • Shenaz Bunglawala, PhD candidate at the Department of Government at LSE and founding member of the Conservative Friends of Turkey
  • Cllr Dr Harvey Marshall, Chairman of the Turkish British Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Councillor for the City of Westminster
  • Katherine Butler, Foreign Editor, The Independent
  • William Horsley, UK Chairman, Association of European Journalists
  • Sara Karnas, Communications Administrator, Chatham House
  • Serkan Kurt, General Secretary, Business Network
  • Ozcan Keles, Excetuvie Director, Dialogue Society
  • Ilknur Kahraman, Co-director, Dialogue Society
  • Dr Cem Erbil, Academic Coordinator, Dialogue Society
  • Frances Sleap, Intern, Dialogue Society

Photos

Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union Roundtable with HE Sir Peter Westmacott, KCMG, LVO, The British Ambassador to France on Turkey and the European Union

Subscription