Tuvalu House is the honorary consulate of the Government of Tuvalu in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Background and location

Since independence in 1978, Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...

 has been a Commonwealth Realm

Commonwealth Realm

A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...

, with a Governor-General

Governor-General

A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...

 representing The Queen

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...

 in Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...

. Based from Tuvalu House, Dr Iftikhar A. Ayaz

Iftikhar A. Ayaz

-Background and nature of work:Based at Tuvalu House, London, England, Dr. Ayaz is the Hon. Consul of the Commonwealth Realm of Tuvalu in London.Dr. Ayaz has not been Tuvalu's only consular representative in Europe in recent times, since Tuvalu has maintained a consulate in Basel, Switzerland, for...

 has represented the Government of Tuvalu in London in recent years at a consular level.

Tuvalu House is situated in South-West London (SW20).

Nature of Tuvalu's foreign relations

Since the Government of Tuvalu does not have a large, organized consular or diplomatic service, it has generally preferred to engage in ad hoc trade or political missions, where the need arises. Other than Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...

's High Commission in Fiji

Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

, and other contacts in the Pacific region, Tuvalu House is thus somewhat of an exception as an overseas office representing Tuvalu.

Commercial relations with the UK

While Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...

's commercial relations with the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 are limited, reflecting both the smallness of the country's economy and the geographical distance of Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...

from the UK, an updated information link is maintained with the British Chambers of Commerce (see link, below), and Tuvalu House advises further on commercial relations.

External links

British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Web Link to Tuvalu House details:

• http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029396086&a=KDiplomaticList&aid=1109168149860

• Information link with the British Chambers of Commerce: http://www.link2exports.co.uk/regions.asp?pid=2130&lsid=3515&edname=18981.htm&ped=18885