Former MI6 chief and ex-UK Ambassador to Ankara Richard Moore has defended himself against criticism that he has been “too soft” on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, arguing that the focus should be on Turkey’s crucial strategic role in the international system rather than on domestic politics alone.
In a wide‑ranging interview with the Financial Times, his first since stepping down as head of Britain’s foreign intelligence service, Moore stressed that Turkey occupies a unique place in global diplomacy due to its geography, history and network of regional ties.
The Turkish news outlet T24 reported Moore’s remarks. Asked directly whether he agreed with accusations that he had been overly lenient in his approach to Erdoğan, Moore replied: “What I am interested in is the role that Turkey plays. And overall I take a positive view of the balance that Turkey brings to the international system.”
Fluent in Turkish and well known in the country as a Beşiktaş football supporter, Moore described Turkey as his “second homeland” and underlined that its position at a historic crossroads gives it “vital importance” in the global order. He argued that Western governments should see Ankara as a key partner, particularly in light of Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine.
Moore noted that Turkey has emerged as a critical bridge between Moscow and the West, maintaining channels of communication with both sides while remaining a NATO member. Its role in the Black Sea, its leverage in the Caucasus, and its influence across the Middle East make it a “strategic pillar” for Europe, he suggested.
“Turkey is an important partner for the West, especially in the context of the Ukraine‑Russia war,” Moore said, pointing to Ankara’s ability to mediate, to broker grain export deals in the Black Sea, and to manage complex regional crises. He insisted that judging Turkey only by its internal political dynamics risks missing the bigger picture.
“Looking only at domestic politics when assessing Turkey would be incomplete,” Moore argued, acknowledging that relations between Ankara and Western capitals have often been fraught in recent years. Despite periodic tensions, he maintained that Turkey’s contribution to NATO and its broader diplomatic activism are indispensable to Western security interests.
Moore’s comments come as London and other Western capitals continue to grapple with Ankara’s assertive foreign policy, its purchase of Russian air defence systems, and its at times confrontational rhetoric towards European partners. His emphasis on engagement rather than isolation reflects a long‑standing current within Western policymaking that sees Turkey as too strategically significant to sideline.
The retired spymaster’s close ties to Turkey are rooted in his own career. One of his first foreign postings was in Turkey at the end of the 1980s. He later served as the United Kingdom’s Ambassador in Ankara between 2014 and 2017, a period marked by domestic upheaval in Turkey and rising regional crises in Syria and Iraq.
Moore chose Istanbul for his farewell speech as MI6 chief before handing over the role on 1 October to his successor, Blaise Metreweli, who will be the first woman to lead the Secret Intelligence Service. His decision to say goodbye in Turkey’s largest city was widely seen as a symbolic nod to a country he has repeatedly described as central not just to his professional life, but also to the security architecture of Europe and the wider West.
Photo: Gemini AI