Turner tackled his assignment with uncommon zest and energy. He was visible around town, in the media, and through his popular blogs. He frequently hosted luncheons and other events with different audiences, all with the intent to find out what’s really going on in the nation and to understand how he could influence events for the better.
While some of his detractors claim he should have paid more attention to improving the British Embassy’s service, we don’t see it that way. In recent years, Ukraine has been blessed with other ambassadors who have cared about the nation and been very active and vocal about its troubles, to the consternation of Ukrainian authorities. Departed French Ambassador Jacques Faure, German Ambassador to Ukraine Hans-Jurgen Heimsoeth and outgoing European Union Ambassador to Ukraine Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira are among those who come to mind for uncommon candor. There are several others.
Unfortunately, too many ambassadors leave as they come – almost anonymous, behind-the-scenes representatives who may well be doing good work, but don’t have a flair for public diplomacy that we think is essential to the job and to getting things done in this nation.
We subscribe to the notion that great minds make their ideas known, and Turner certainly did, while others remain obscure probably because they have nothing to contribute to the public dialogue.
The married father of two children, whose wife is a former British diplomat, entered the foreign service in 1979 and got posted to many world capitals. He took an unpaid leave for four years, from 2002-2006, in Berlin. During this time, besides looking after his family, he wrote novels and film treatments. He was also a journalist for the Financial Times, the Boston Globe and other newspapers. It appears to be time well-spent. He brought his eclectic interests to his blog, work and to his life as well, such as when he joined a swing dancing club in Kyiv.
Turner was skillful in criticizing what’s wrong in Ukraine and in proposing solutions without, it appears, offending the authorities. He challenged Ukrainians to define and create the nation that they want to live in, because foreign influence is limited. Even when his critique was harsh, we think Ukrainians accepted it as coming from a sincere friend of the nation. Ukraine’s loss is Turkey’s gain.
