Foreign investors ‘should be reassured by Turkey,’ says new British envoy

ANKARA – Hürriyet

British Ambassador Moore (L) presents his credentials to President Gül. CİHAN photo

The newly-appointed U.K. Ambassador to Turkey Richard Moore has said it is important for Turkish politicians to "send a message of stability and calmness to foreign investors and ambassadors," particularly in the tough time that the Turkish economy is currently passing through.

“Investors look around the world at investment possibilities and they are influenced by events in countries. So they of course need to be reassured that in Turkey there is a real commitment to the European process, to harmonization with the EU and international standards, and to no surprises. Businessmen hate surprises, they like stability,” Moore told daily Hürriyet in an interview at his residence in Ankara.

“I am really optimistic about the Turkish economy in the medium to long term. In the short term, it is a difficult period. It is really important in this critical period that the messages coming out to foreign ambassadors from Turkish politicians and other leading influential figures in Turkey is a message of stability and calmness. This is what we want,” he said.

The new British ambassador was in Ankara on Feb. 4 to present his credentials to President Abdullah Gül.

Concerns on the rule of law

Moore also referred to concerns about reversals of democracy that have recently been expressed in Turkey.

“The European Commission has some concerns about issues around the rule of law and the separation of powers. We share those concerns. They raised those issues to the Turkish government, and Prime Minister Erdoğan went to Brussels and talked about these issues with the senior officials. That’s the normal process. We are pleased to see this interaction is happening,” he said, adding that he want to refrain from commenting on domestic politics.

“Don’t expect me to make any comment on Turkey’s domestic politics. But from our point of view, we are championing Turkey in its EU bid,” Moore said.