Jennifer Elizabeth Anderson, the UK’s ambassador to Ankara, said what was happening in Gaza and the West Bank could not continue and announced that her country had changed its policy toward Israel. Anderson said the UK would not remain silent in the face of further suffering.
Anderson said a two-state solution was a fundamental policy of the UK government and described the decision to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as one of the new measures aimed at achieving that goal. Referring to steps to prevent settlements in the West Bank, Anderson said the Israeli government would be assessed based on its actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
Anderson presented her credentials to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on September 8 and began her post in Ankara the same month. She previously served as deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Ankara.
The Türkiye-UK partnership is growing
Anderson said relations between Türkiye and the UK were strong and continued to grow, adding that the two countries had signed a Strategic Partnership Framework in April and a Security and Defence Partnership agreement in July.
Anderson said bilateral trade stood at £17 billion during her previous posting and had risen to £28.6 billion this year. She said negotiations on a new free trade agreement were continuing and noted that cooperation extended to migration, defence, development, science, technology, innovation and the transition to green energy.
Anderson said the number of UK citizens visiting Türkiye had also increased, rising from approximately 1.7 million in 2020 to 4.4 million this year.
Describing Türkiye and the UK as two of NATO’s leading allies, Anderson said defence cooperation was one of the strategic areas contributing to economic growth. She said the Security and Defence Partnership agreement signed during the NATO Summit in Ankara demonstrated the two countries’ determination to deepen cooperation across all areas of the defence industry.
Anderson’s life in Ankara
Anderson, who had previously served in Türkiye, said the country had always held a place in her heart and that she had tried to closely follow developments in Türkiye after her departure. After her previous posting, Anderson worked as director of consular and crisis operations and said she coordinated the UK’s aid efforts in Türkiye following the 2023 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş.
Anderson said she was pleased to live at the ambassador’s residence in Ankara and was familiar with areas such as Tunalı Hilmi Avenue and Ulus. She said she had studied Turkish, read Turkish newspapers and followed Turkish television before leaving her previous post.
Anderson said she loved Ankara and enjoyed Turkish idioms, describing “kuş uçmaz kervan geçmez” and “aynı tas aynı hamam” as romantic expressions. Calling Turkish cuisine “incredible,” Anderson said her favorite dish was stuffed collard leaves, which she tasted during a trip to the Black Sea region, while her favorite dessert was katmer, which she ate with her children during a visit to Gaziantep.
