To mark this occasion, British Prime Minister David Cameron sent an audio message to the scientists and support staff at British bases in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.
You can read more about the Prime Minister’s message here; and more about Captain Scott and his ill-fated expedition here (some great links at this site). For real exploration (and film) buffs, I recommend the re-released 1924 film “The Great White Silence”, which I watched recently with great pleasure.
Ukraine and the United Kingdom have a terrific record of cooperation in Antarctica. In 1994, Ukraine was admitted to the Scientific Committee of Antarctic Research, with the active support of the UK.
The same year the UK decided to close its Antarctic station Faraday, set up in 1934, and offered Ukraine the opportunity to take it over. Ukraine accepted and the British Antarctic Survey trained Ukrainian staff to operate the station.
On 6 February 1996, the Union Jack was lowered and the Ukrainian flag raised. The station was renamed Akademik Vernadsky.
Leigh Turner has been the British Ambassador to Ukraine since June 2008. You can read all his blog entries at blogs.fco.gov.uk/roller/turnerenglish (in English) or blogs.fco.gov.uk/roller/turner/ (Ukrainian)
