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Downing Street said the British Indian leader’s calls to diplomats on Friday included Sherwan Asif, who has worked for the British High Commission in Islamabad for more than 12 years.
He was at the forefront of the UK’s response to the devastating floods that devastated the country in June and Sherwan identified areas of critical need and ensured UK funding reached the most vulnerable, Downing Street said.
“Whether you are working in Mogadishu or Milton Keynes this Christmas, I want you to know that I am personally grateful for your sacrifice,” Sunak said.
“This year has been an extraordinary year for many reasons, but above all, it has been a year in which the true spirit and resilience of the United Kingdom has been on show, from the support given to our Ukrainian friends, to the work to ensure that essential aid reaches the most vulnerable overseas. is being done,” he said.
“And closer to home, to friends and neighbors, volunteers, public servants and essential service workers who worked over Christmas – I am truly humbled by your dedication and I know your selflessness will spread cheer across the country this holiday season,” he added.
Along with Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Permanent Under-Secretary Sir Philip Barton and First Sea Lord Admiral Ben Keane, Sunak called on diplomats from Somalia and Ukraine, as well as a Royal Navy ship in Antarctica. In the UK, Sunk surprised Chris Mitchell who runs Smart Play, an award-winning government-funded holiday activities and food program in London.
Sunak heard first-hand how Michelle and her team help vulnerable children across the area with fun activities and nutritious meals during the school holidays.
Speaking to Nick Guffog, a diplomat based in Mogadishu, Somalia, the UK Prime Minister heard how Foreign Office workers were using their breath breaks and flights back from the UK to Somalia to bring Christmas decorations to the UK diplomatic compound in Mogadishu. .
She told Sunak how staff in Mogadishu live in containers under threat of terrorist attacks, and will spend Christmas helping efforts to counter the threat posed by al-Shabaab and help the Somali government deal with the country’s hunger crisis.
Gufogue, who oversees an embassy compound in East Africa, said the order for the Christmas dinner was due in the spring and had recently arrived by container ship.
This year’s celebrations were special for the embassy after last year’s Covid outbreak meant staff could not sit together in the compound on Christmas Day.
Also on the call list was Svita Yavorska, who has worked for the UK Embassy in Ukraine for a year from Kyiv, Warsaw and now Lviv.
Before setting up a temporary embassy base in Poland, Svita told the prime minister how she had to flee to Poland following the war in Ukraine.
Finally, Sunk spoke to some of the crew of HMS Protector, currently stationed off the coast of the South Sandwich Islands, updating navigational charts using the latest sonar technology, monitoring the retreat of glaciers and ice shelves, and supporting the British Antarctic Survey. Scientists by delivering vital supplies and fixing any engineering problems.
Sunak heard how shipmates experienced 20 hours of sunlight a day, and during their deployment saw whales, penguins, and endangered turtles, as well as surveyed underwater volcanoes, and beat members of the Montserrat national football team 7–1 during a friendly match. Game on the edge.
Asked about his Christmas plans, the sailors told him that they had planned several celebrations between watching the ship, including a fancy dress party and a Christmas dinner for the ship’s company.
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