In a speech delivered at the reception, William Hague, the shadow foreign minister of the Conservative Party, voiced strong support for Turkey's bid to become a full member of the European Union. Warning that rejecting Turkey's membership would be a major loss for the EU, Hague said this would also lead to problems between the EU and the Muslim world since it would be interpreted as a sign that the EU is a Christian club. Turkey's Ambassador to Britain Yiğit Alpogan and Turkey's Consul General in London Bahadır Kaleli as well as a number of members of the House of Lords attended the reception.Ertan Hürer, a Conservative Party member of the Enfield Council, speaking at the reception, highlighted that the emphasis on friendship with Turkey in the group's title was not meant to imply enmity toward Greeks, Kurds or Armenians. On the contrary, the group will work for friendly relations with all of these groups on a healthy ground, Hürer added. Working with a plethora of individuals, political organizations, academia and business associations, the CFT says that it aims to cement already strong ties between Turkey and the UK in the economic, cultural and political arenas through various activities including parliamentary delegations, seminars and conferences, whilst also encouraging debate on Turkey's significance as a strong ally of the UK.
MAHIR ZEYNALOV
M. EDİB YILMAZ
DENİZ ERGÜREL
SEVGİ AKARÇEŞME
PINAR VURUCU
LAURA MOTH
SİNEM CENGİZ
ABDULLA HAWEZ
ABDULLAH AYASUN
FATMA DEMİRELLİ
ŞULE KULU
E. BARIŞ ALTINTAŞ
ERGİN HAVA
ESRA MADEN