November 4, 2011 - World Bulletin
A U.S. Congressional sub-committee on Thursday discussed a bill that would grant an exclusive right to Turkish companies to do trade with American Indians without first seeking an approval from the federal government.
A U.S. Congressional sub-committee on Thursday discussed a bill that would grant an exclusive right to Turkish companies to do trade with American Indians without first seeking an approval from the federal government.
The bill was submitted by Tom Cole, a member of the Chickasaw Nation and the only registered Native American in the Congress, and it aims at contributing to the economic development of the native American soil without bureaucratic entanglements.
"Everyone keeps asking me, 'Why Turkey?' The answer is quite simple: Turkey has shown great interest in establishing economic partnerships with native Americans. Turkey was the first foreign country to participate in our annual summit meetings this year. True or not, many Turks believe they came from the same ancestors with native Americans. It is a fact that Turks really want to help native Americans," Cole told the Anadolu Agency.
Lincoln McCurdy, head of the Turkish Coalition of America, or TCA, told the sub-committee that Turkey had made remarkable progress in its economy, maintaining that the country could make valuable contributions to help native Americans shake off effects of the recession.
John Berry, head of business committee of Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma, said the financial crisis hit certain native Americans very hard, adding that jobless rates soared to as high as 80 percent among certain tribes.
