A Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) sponsored congressional delegation visited Turkey this week to meet with Turkey’s Foreign Minister, H.E. Ahmet Davutoglu, and senior government officials, the US Ambassador to Turkey, as well as civic and business leaders. The delegation, led by TCA President Lincoln McCurdy, consisted of Congressman Ed Whitfield of Kentucky, Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on US-Turkish Relations and Turkish Americans, Congresswoman Donna Edwards of Maryland, representing the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressman Jim Moran of Virginia, a member of the Turkish Caucus and senior staff members from Congressional leadership offices.
Members of the Congressional Delegation to Turkey met with Foreign Minister Davutoglu and discussed US-Turkey bilateral relations, as well as the key role that Turkey is playing in Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of interest to the United States and Turkey.
Following the meeting, Congressman Whitfield stated: “I thanked the Foreign Minister for taking the time to meet with our group. The three of us didn’t vote on the Armenian Genocide resolution. We highly value relations with Turkey. We are going to continue to do whatever we can to make sure the resolution doesn’t move forward. We also hope that President Obama will be more aggressive in his stance against it.” Congressman Moran also provided an optimistic statement following the meeting: "American foreign policy cannot be successful without Turkey. It is very much a bridge between East and West, both physically and philosophically."
“The Turkish Coalition of America is pleased to have facilitated productive conversations at many levels regarding US – Turkey relations and the positive role that Turkey plays in the region,” said Lincoln McCurdy. “A positive and constructive dialogue is a key element to maintain the strong relations between our two nations.”
The delegation also participated in the opening gala for the Jazz Department at Hacettepe University, which has become the first institution in Turkey dedicated to the study of Jazz. The opening of the Jazz Department at Hacettepe University was acknowledged by the Jazz Foundation of America.
At the conclusion of what was her first trip to Turkey, Congresswoman Donna Edwards gave this comment: “This is my first visit to Turkey and I definitely plan to come back. I appreciate the hospitality received, as well as all we have learned about the unique perspective of strategic relations between the US and Turkey.”
