A sell out audience from both sides of the River Severn will be on hand at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport later this month when the UK Government hosts the first Severn Growth Summit (22 Jan).

350 delegates have signed up to attend the inaugural event hosted by the Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns to explore how links between the South Wales and South West England economies can be strengthened following the announcement of the abolition of the Severn Tolls later this year.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

I am delighted to see such a positive response from communities to this first sell out event. The fact the event has sold out so quickly is a clear demonstration of the appetite to bring people and industry closer together on both sides of the border. That is what the Severn Growth Summit is all about.‎

This event signals the start of an important conversation that will transform the joint economic and cultural prospects of South Wales and the South West of England. Boosting the local economy by over £100m each and every year‎ by this major UK Government policy decision is a clear message that Wales is open for business.

I look forward to welcoming partners from both sides of the Wales-England border to the Summit and hope that we seize this opportunity to think big to make our economies stronger, more dynamic and fit for the future.‎

On 10 January British Ambassador to Estonia Theresa Bubbear announced the launch of a series of events that the British Embassy will hold throughout 2018 to celebrate the Estonian Centenary and 100 years of friendship between our two countries. These will include “Pop-up Embassy” visits to each of Estonia’s 15 counties, an online exhibition on the Royal Navy’s support during Estonia’s War of Independence and a competition for school children to win invitations to this year’s Queen’s Birthday Party.

“I am delighted that the Embassy can play a part in celebrating the Estonian centenary and I do hope that many people can take part in our events to learn more about the UK and the long-lasting friendship between our countries. We are celebrating 100 years of friendship, but also looking ahead at the next 100 years” British Ambassador Theresa Bubbear said at the launch event.

“We will always remember the special role of British naval and air forces during the Estonian War of Independence. No country or an individual can survive on its own, the co-operation is everything. It has been like that in the past and in the globalizing world the ties are going to be even stronger between Estonia and the UK” told Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Mikser.

For more information on “pop-up embassies” and other Centenary related activities of the British Embassy please follow the Embassy on social media (British Embassy Tallinn at Facebook, @UKinEstonia on Twitter).

An online exhibition on the Royal Navy’s support during Estonia’s War of Independence is being created in collaboration with Estonian Maritime Museum, Estonian National Archive and Estonian National Library and will be located at www.UKandEstonia.ee. The Maritime Museum will be hosting a sister exhibition at Sea Plane Harbour in autumn.

British Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik was visiting Papua and West Papua as part of his regular provincial visits in Indonesia. The Ambassador visited Sorong, Manokwari and Jayapura for meetings with key Government interlocutors at the local and provincial levels, businesses, civil society groups, and universities.

Ambassador Moazzam Malik said:

I am pleased to be making my third visit to the region since becoming Ambassador. I am here to discuss issues of mutual interest such as climate change, education and development. I am particularly excited to return to UNIPA University so I can encourage more Papuans to consider studying in the UK, including through the UK funded Chevening Scholarships.

The UK fully supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Indonesia. We regard Papua as an integral part of Indonesia. We also support the efforts the Government and civil society organisations to address the challenges in Papua and hope to see it enjoy the same level of peace, stability, and prosperity as other parts of this nation.

Notes to Editors:

• Chevening scholarships are the UK government’s global scholarship programme funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partner organisation. Indonesia is the fourth largest countries for the Chevening scholarship programme and around 80 awards will be available. Find out more at www.chevening.org
• We want the brightest and best Papuans to come to the UK to study, including through Chevening and LPDP scholarships, to help Papua achieve its full potential
• For more information on the visit please contact Embassy’s Spokesperson Faye Belnis at +62 (0) 811 87777 62

Vice Mayor of Liverpool Gary Millar met with the Mayor of Surabaya Tri Rismaharini to follow up on Sister City agreement between Surabaya and Liverpool. He also discussed the International Business Festival in Liverpool on 2018 and encourages Indonesian businesses to take part.

During the visit Mr Millar was also scheduled to visit Surabaya Creative Centre to learn more about initiatives on E-commerce and offer UK expertise to develop coaching skills in football schools in Surabaya.

Gary Millar said:

I am very pleased to be making my first visit to Surabaya and to identify areas of collaboration with our partners at provincial level. Surabaya and Liverpool have similar characteristics as second cities that rely very much on ports and the maritime sector. I look forward to discussing partnerships and supporting both cities’ development programmes.

Notes to Editors:

1. A Letter of Intent (LoI) of Sister City Agreement was signed by both parties on 17 May 2017 in Liverpool covering 5 areas of cooperation including port and maritime management, economics, human resources and capacity building management, smart cities and creative industries
2. The 2018 International Business Festival is one of the world’s biggest trade and investment expos. The Festival will be held in Liverpool next June and aims to give businesses from all over the world the space, support and expertise they need to grow and explore new international markets. The Festival will focus on high-growth industries such as sustainable energy, global logistics and shipping and manufacturing.
3. With total Indonesian exports to the UK of £1,545 million in 2016 (a 16.4% increase from 2015), Indonesia enjoyed a trade surplus of £578 million. This was lower than the previous year’s surplus of £443 million.
4. The majority of UK exports to Indonesia are in machinery and transport equipment (36.2%), chemicals and related products (25.8%), and crude materials that are inedible (14.4%). By contrast, UK imports from Indonesia are mainly manufactured goods (61.5%).
5. For further information on the visit please contact British Embassy’s Spokesperson Faye Belnis at +62 (0) 811 87777 62.

The UK is already the second largest investor into the country and the Trade Secretary’s visit will promote further opportunities for British companies in Turkey whilst also encouraging inward investment.

The visit will build on the strong foundations laid by the Prime Minister and President Erdoğan in January 2017 when they established the UK-Turkey Trade Working Group.

During Dr Fox’s visit he is scheduled to meet President Erdoğan to discuss how to ensure the strong trade relationship continues to thrive post Brexit. Dr Fox will also attend a number of high level meetings with key members of the Turkish government including the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers as well as Ministers for Economy and Defence.

Turkey is a key market for the UK with total trade in goods and services accounting for £14.5 billion in 2016. The UK is Turkey’s second largest export market, receiving 5% of all Turkish exports, whilst some of the UK’s biggest businesses including Vodafone, Rolls Royce and Diageo are all present in the country.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox said:

The UK and Turkey enjoy a strong trading relationship, but we must seek to build on this, deepening our partnership to boost prosperity and increase security throughout the region.

As an international economic department, we will continue to promote British companies all around the world, strengthening our trade and investment relationships and providing continuity and certainty for businesses and consumers alike as we leave the EU.

During the visit Dr Fox will also see how the partnership between BAE Systems and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is helping to deliver Turkey’s TF-X indigenous fighter programme. The contract for the initial design phase of the fifth generation fighter aircraft was concluded in August 2017 and is worth around £100 million.

This partnership with TAI will involve significant technology and skills transfer, and is the first phase in a long term relationship between the UK and Turkish defence industries.

Notes to editors

UK trade and investment work in Turkey is growing, helped by the appointment of Lord Janvrin as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy.

The most recent UK-Turkey Trade Working Group meeting was held in London on 9 November 2017 with the second scheduled to take place in Ankara on 22 February 2018.