Alp Mehmet


Alper Mehmet is a British former diplomat and one of the United Kingdom's first two ethnic minority ambassadors, along with Anwar Choudhury.

Early life

Mehmet arrived in the United Kingdom from Cyprus in 1956 when he was aged eight, as a British citizen but unable to speak English. Mehmet was educated at Parmiter's School near London, and at Bristol Polytechnic.

Career

On graduation from Bristol, Mehmet became an immigration officer and then an entry clearance officer in Lagos, Nigeria. In 1983, he entered Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service, serving in Romania, Germany and Iceland and leaving in 2008. When Mehmet was appointed as Ambassador to Iceland in 2004, he became one of the first two British ambassadors from ethnic minority backgrounds to be appointed. Mehmet sits on the advisory council of MigrationWatch UK.

Honours

Mehmet was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order on 26 June 1990.