Can Britain and Turkey shape Europe’s outreach through ‘sweet talk’?
GÜLNUR AYBET
In Turkish, “Tatlıdil” means sweet talk. After attending the 2nd annual Turkish-British Tatlıdil forum in Istanbul, my impression was that it had indeed gone beyond a supplement to sweetening bilateral relations. Launched in 2011 as an initiative of both governments, its main purpose lies in deepening bilateral relations beyond the official channels of government. The forum brings together intellectuals, businessmen, lawmakers, journalists, writers, diplomats and politicians from both sides, chaired by two former Foreign Ministers, Jack Straw and Yaşar Yakış.
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