News story

This week on the Foreign Office Global Conversations blog

President Obama, Libya and Japan where amongst the topics discussed by Foreign Office bloggers.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Nigel Sheinwald, British Ambassador to the United States focussed on President Obama’s first State Visit to the United Kingdom. Ambassador Sheinwald said that “Quite simply, the UK and the US have a strong habit of working together - and a shared sense that in doing so we directly advance our own and others’ security and prosperity.”

Additionally Sophia Willetts - King who is First secretary for foreign and security policy at the British Embassy in Washington posted a blog about President Obama’s noting that “we hope that America and Pakistan will continue to have the same kind of strong relationship - because ultimately we are not sure that there is another, or better, option.”

Foreign Office Political Officer David Clay in Benghazi discussed civil society were he attended an NGO fair where he “met young volunteers caring for internally displaced people from Ajdabiya and Misrata or looking after the families of those on the front line. Forums for dialogue, newly established weekly magazines and environmental organisations competed with each other for the attention of the many passersby who stopped to chat.”

Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt recorded a videoblog about ‘Hearing eyewitness accounts from Misrata’

Ahead of a visit by Sir John Beddington, the UK Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser to Japan Tom Burn, Head of the Media and Communications posted a blog about ‘Understanding Fukushima’.

Ambassador to Brazil, Alan Charlton discussed ‘The Challenges of Diplomacy and its professionals in the 21st century’.

Published 27 May 2011