Turkish British Tatlıdil Forum is an initiative, launched as a result of the project adopted during the visit of H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey, to the UK in 2011. The forum aims at strengthening and institutionalizing the civil dialogue between Turkey and the United Kingdom. The first meeting of the forum was held in the UK on 7-9 October 2011. The second meeting of the forum was held in Istanbul on 12-14 October 2012 under the co-chairmanship of the Former Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkey and the UK, respectively H.E. Yaşar Yakış and Rt. Hon. Jack Straw. The forum was attended by the representatives of politics, press, academic, business and art circles of both countries.

Rt. Hon. David Lidington, State Minister of Europe at the FCO; Rt. Hon. Douglas Alexander, Shadow Foreign Secretary (Labor); Lord Stephen Green, Minister of State for Trade & Investment; Rt. Hon James Arbuthnot, Chairman of the Defense Committee; Richard Ottaway, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee; Rt. Hon. Peter Hain, Former Senior Minister and Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister of Europe Emma Reynolds took part in the British delegation to this year’s forum. H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, addressed the participants of the forum during gala dinner. H.E. Egemen Bağış, Minister of European Union Affairs and Chief Negotiator of Turkey, was the keynote speaker at the closing session of the forum.

Within the forum, the issues ranging from Turkey-UK bilateral relations, Arab Awakening, financial crisis in the European Union and its implications for Turkey and the UK were discussed by the participants.

Tatlıdil is a yearly forum, which brings together the leading figures from academic, business, political and art circles and media representatives of both countries on a single platform to discuss the current bilateral and international issues openly and transparently as well as in an informal and flexible manner. The forum strengthens the excellent political, economic, trade, military and cultural relations between Turkey and the UK and it establishes a unique mechanism which did not exist in the past. In the coming years, the forum will consolidate mutual understanding and trust between the different segments of the Turkish and British societies and play a role in bringing closer the peoples of two countries.