CFCC Vice President, Sir Colin William Carstairs Turner, CBE, DFC (born 4 January 1922; died 21 March 2014) passed away peacefully at home in West Runton, Norfolk.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Poland, HE Mr Witold Sobkow, addressed the Conservative Foreign and Commonwealth Council last night following its Annual General Meeting. The Ambassador has had a long and interesting career in foreign affairs covering European foreign policy and the Eastern Partnership Initiative.
Let us begin with the Cylinder of Cyrus in the British Museum. It is the Proclamation of Freedom by Cyrus the Great (Kourosh-i-Kabir as he is called by the Iranian people today) when the Persian Empire reached its zenith. The emperor is mentioned in the Bible as one of God's anointed who was to bring liberation to the people of Israel, who were at that time in bondage.
The EU has 28 Member States and 24 official languages. The UN, with 193 Member States, operates with just six, and the 47-Member-State Council of Europe has just two official languages. Working towards a more efficient and cost effective interpretation process is of course welcome, but the recommendations do not offer the radical solution which would be the logical step for an expanding supranational institution such as the EU.
The Ambassador of Paraguay, HE Miguel Angel Solano-Lopez Casco, addressed the Conservative Foreign and Commonwealth Council last night in central London.
Mina Al-Oraibi, Assistant Editor in Chief of Asharq Alawsat, the international pan-Arab daily newspaper, spoke to the assembled Conservative Foreign and Commonwealth Council last night.
Mr Rodrigo Espinosa, Minister Counsellor for Chile, gave a fascinating wide ranging briefing about UK-Chile links particularly touching on the history and politics of the country. The Cultural Attache, Mr Cristian Leon, and the Commercial Attache, Mr Cristian Lopez, also gave enthusiastic briefings about the unique geography, diverse culture and economy on the rise.
The Ambassador of Norway, HE MR KIM TRAAVIK, Ambassador of Norway and Sir Michael Craig-Cooper CBE TD DL, spoke on "Norwegian Foreign Policy, with Special Emphasis on EU Relations" at a meeting and reception held at the Ambassador's residence in Kensington, W8. Sir Michael Craig-Cooper, Vice Chairman, was in the Chair and Peter Friedmann gave the vote of thanks.
Mr Gordon Bridger, formerly of DFID, gave a slide show presentation arguing that aid has been mis-directed. He quoted Lord Lawson: "British aid on balance did more harm than good".
