MONTHLY NEWSLETTER APRIL 2012

TCA, ATAA and Members of Congress Mark 60th Anniversary of Turkey's NATO Membership

TCA and the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) hosted twelve Members of Congress, Turkey's Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Namik Tan, and several congressional staffers at a breakfast reception to mark the 60th anniversary of Turkey's NATO membership. At the event, Ambassador Tan and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), Chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, highlighted the importance of a strong and deepened U.S.-Turkey relationship in their remarks. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ken.), co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans (Turkish Caucus), also remarked on the crucial need for closer U.S.-Turkey ties. For more information on this event, please visit here.

13th TCA Congressional Delegation Concludes Visit to Turkey and Macedonia

On March 18, TCA completed its 13th Congressional delegation, which included visits to Istanbul and Ankara in Turkey, and Skopje and Ohrid in Macedonia. The delegation, comprised of thirteen Congressional staffers, met with high-level officials in both countries to gain a better understanding of each country's history and culture, regional issues affecting both countries, and the state of relations between Turkey, Macedonia and the United States. Since May 2009, TCA has taken 124 Members of Congress and their staffers to Turkey and surrounding countries. Please visit here for more information on this event.

TCA Preparing for 14th Congressional Trip

TCA will organize its 14th congressional delegation to Turkey on May 16-25. The delegation is scheduled to meet with senior government officials as well as civil society leaders, business community representatives and members of the press for a series of policy discussions.

TCA to Host Lunch for Congressional Delegation in Istanbul

On April 4, the Turkish Coalition of America will host a lunch in Istanbul for an official Congressional delegation, led by Rep. Tom Price (R-GA/6th). The bi-partisan delegation comprised of several prominent members of Congress will also travel to Israel and Jordan following their visit to Turkey.

TCA Organizes Event on US-Turkey Alliance and Turkish-Israeli Relations

On March 14, TCA hosted a luncheon discussion on the “US-Turkey Alliance and Israeli-Turkish Relations” featuring Ambassador Ozdem Sanberk (R), former Undersecretary of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Member of the UN Panel of Inquiry on the Gaza Flotilla Incident, and Mr. Memduh Karakullukcu, Vice Chair and President of the Istanbul-based Global Relations Forum, a private think tank. The forum provided an opportunity for the participants, among them several senior Congressional staffers, to discuss Turkey-Israel relations and related issues. For more information on this event please visit here.

TCA Awards Study Tour Grant to Syracuse University

TCA awarded a Study Tour Grant to Syracuse University to support students on their Architecture Department's "East Meets West: Representing Architecture at the Crossroads of Ritual and Practice" titled tour in Turkey. Syracuse will partner with Bahcesehir University for the trip, planned for May 13-24. Syracuse University is the third educational institution in 2012 to receive the TCA Study Tour grant, joining George Washington University and Community College of Philadelphia.

Congressional Turkish Caucus Reaches 136 Members

The Congressional Caucus on US-Turkey Relations and Turkish Americans reached 136 members with Rep. Rick Berg (R-North Dakota) and Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wisconsin) joining in March. The Turkish Caucus is a bipartisan platform for Members of Congress to focus on issues that relate to Turkey, U.S.-Turkey relations and the Turkish American community. To learn more about the Caucus and find out how you can ask your Representative to join, please contact Beril Unver: bunver@tc-america.org.

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