November 5, 2010, Hurriyet Daily News - Representatives from 17 American Indian nations are set to take Turkish Airlines, or THY’s, inaugural flight from Washington D.C. on Saturday for a weeklong trip to Turkey.
Representatives from 17 American Indian nations are set to take Turkish Airlines, or THY’s, inaugural flight from Washington D.C. on Saturday for a weeklong business, educational and cultural exchange trip to Turkey.
“It is one of the largest [American Indian] international delegations in recent years, and the first to visit Turkey. This trip marks the latest evolution in our work promoting the development of relationships between the Turkish people and the many ethnic and cultural groups in the United States,” said Lincoln McCurdy, president of the Turkish Coalition of America, or TCA, which organizing the trip.
Participants in the first Native American Business Cooperation Trip are scheduled to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Foreign Trade Minister Zafer Cağlayan and members of the Turkish Parliament’s Turkey-U.S. Friendship Group.
“The Native American Business Cooperation Trip is the highlight of our recent efforts to foster increased economic and cultural ties between Turkey and [American Indians],” said McCurdy.
The group will also meet with representatives of the Turkish Exporters’ Council, participate in business symposiums and networking at Istanbul Technical University, Hacettepe University and Bahçeşehir University and visit Gallipoli, the site of a World War I campaign that continues to resonate with Turks.
The TCA has already organized three meetings with Çağlayan in 2010, including two meetings in the U.S. between him and American Indian delegations that laid the groundwork for the business cooperation trip.
The delegation will travel to Turkey on Saturday and return on Nov. 14. Others taking THY’s inaugural flight include members of Congress, journalists and think-tank experts.
