British diplomat returns to Istanbul with Turkish language in tow

Zeynep Bilgehan - ISTANBUL

British Consul General in Istanbul David Reed, who took up his post four months ago, shares that he waited 15 years to return to Türkiye, where his diplomatic career first took shape during an early posting in Greek Cyprus and where he has now resumed speaking Turkish.

His connection with Türkiye began around two decades ago, when he was assigned to Cyprus and needed to learn Turkish. During language training in London, he spent time in Turkish cafes before living with families for six weeks each in Istanbul and İzmir.

“I wanted to be able to use Turkish again and had to wait 15 years to return to Istanbul,” Reed said in an interview with the daily Hürriyet. To refresh his language skills, he watched Turkish television series, as well as films by acclaimed director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and read Turkish newspaper articles.

Born in Portsmouth in 1978, Reed developed an interest in history and current affairs. He studied law at Cambridge University before joining the U.K. Foreign Office in 2003 after three years at a commercial law firm.

His first overseas posting was in Greek Cyprus in 2005, at a time when the Annan Plan dominated the political agenda. He recalled efforts to encourage dialogue between the two communities through negotiations, economic ties and sporting events.

“Diplomacy is a matter of patience,” he said, stressing the importance of understanding history, listening to different perspectives and finding common ground.

Reed sees artificial intelligence and climate change among the world’s biggest challenges, describing AI as a transformation on the scale of the Industrial Revolution. He also highlights cooperation with Türkiye ahead of COP31, which will be held in Antalya in November.

He describes U.K.-Türkiye ties as being on an upward trajectory, with bilateral trade reaching £28 billion ($38 billion) by the end of the first quarter of 2026 and 4.4 million British visitors traveling to Türkiye. Defense cooperation, including the planned sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets, is another major element of the partnership.

For Reed, however, diplomacy remains rooted in a principle as old as the relationship itself: building influence through relationships and partnerships. “The classic diplomacy of William Harborne is still valid,” he said, referring to the first official English ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, appointed by Queen Elizabeth I in 1581.