TCA Issue Papers

Because of its location and influence, Turkey is the key to any political settlement and remains at the center of humanitarian relief. Since 2011, Turkey has accepted three million refugees displaced by the civil war in Syria and by the atrocities of ISIS and Syria and Iraq. Turkey offers the refugees free health care and their children tuition-free elementary, secondary, and even university education, all at a cost to Turkey of more than $12 billion and counting. read more

The Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) expresses its deepest appreciation and gratitude to the Hon. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky who resigned from the U.S. Congress at the end of August. Whitfield was the co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on U.S.-Turkey Relations and Turkish Americans and of the Congressional Study Group on Turkey (CGST) of the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress (USAFMC). As a member of Congress, he was an ardent supporter of the U.S.-Turkey relationship and a voice on Capitol Hill for Turkish Americans. read more

The two nations have reunited after a monumental fall out over the downing of a Russian jet in Turkish airspace last year but renewed efforts to defeat the terrorist group appear to have united old enemies. read more

February 20, 2016

In footage reportedly taken by the crew of a Turkish fishing boat and the Turkish Coast Guard on November 12, 2015, a member of the Greek Coast Guard is filmed attempting to sink an inflatable boat filled with 58 refugees trying to cross the Aegean into Europe. The drowning refugees, among them children, were rescued by members of Turkey’s Coast Guard and taken back to the Turkish port of Didim, where many migrants begin the treacherous journey from Turkey to the Greek islands. Commander Rear Admiral Hakan Ustem of the Turkish Coast Guard later issued an official complaint to his Greek counterpart, Vice Admiral Athanasios Athanasopoulous. In 2015 alone, an estimated 80,000 refugees were saved by the Turkish coast guard while trying to make their way to Greece.

Similar incidents took place in August and October of 2015, in which masked assailants, often armed, were seen deliberately disabling boats carrying migrants and asylum seekers by damaging or removing their engines or puncturing the hull of the boats. In some cases, witnesses said the boats were towed back into Turkish waters. In response to these reports, Eva Cossé, a specialist on Greece at Human Rights Watch said “disabling boats in the Aegean makes an already dangerous journey even more likely to result in death” and that “these criminal actions require an urgent response from the Greek authorities”. Human Rights Watch has also reported cases where Greek border guards sent refugees back to Turkey via the land border along the Evros River in northern Greece. To date, Turkey has registered over 2.5 million Syrian refugees, making it the largest host of refugees in the world.

read more

May 19, 1919 marks the beginning of the Turkish War of National Liberation, a turning point in Turkey's history. On this day, a young Ottoman general, Mustafa Kemal, arrived in Samsun. The man, who would later be known to the world as Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, stepped ashore on this small Black Sea Coast town to embark on a journey that would ultimately create the Republic of Turkey and a new nation state. read more

For over a century, from 1763 onwards, the peoples of Circassian lands situated in the northwestern Caucasus defended their homelands against Russian expansion.

The Circassian people, who by and large adopted Islam in the eighteenth century, were almost entirely affected by the terrible destruction of their communities and the forced displacement from their historic homeland during the last decades of the Tsarist regime. Russian General Yevdokimov was tasked to execute this policy of forced displacement as of 1860 with newly formed mobile columns of riflemen and Cossack cavalry.

read more

On October 29, 1923, the newly recognized Turkish parliament proclaimed the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, formally marking the end of the Ottoman Empire. On the same day, Mustafa Kemal, who led the Turkish National War of Liberation and was later named Atatürk (father of Turks), was unanimously elected as the first president of the Republic. read more

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John A. Boehner visited Turkey this week, as part of a multi-country trip to the region. The Speaker was accompanied by a high-level congressional delegation, which included Representatives David Camp, Chair, Committee on Ways and Means; Doc Hastings, Chair, Committee on Natural Resources; John Kline, Chair, Education and the Workforce Committee; Greg Walden, Chair, Subcommittee on Communication and Technology; Devin Nunes, Chair, Subcommittee on Trade;Tom Latham, Chair, Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development; and Steve Womack, Appropriations Committee. read more

March 21, 2014 - Honolulu - The Turkish Coalition of America presented the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu, Hawaii with a $25,000 donation yesterday to aid the Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts. The donation was matched dollar for dollar by the Consuelo Foundation, a Hawaii-based nonprofit organization. Hawaii has the highest concentration of Filipino Americans in the United States and shares a close relationship with the people of the Philippines. read more

The 7th Annual Turkish Canadian Youth Congress was held on March 15 at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. The Youth Congress's principal organizer is the Council of Turkish Canadians (CTC). For the fifth year in a row, TCA has been a sponsor of CTC forums. The Modern Turkish Studies Initiative at Carleton University and the Federation of Canadian Turkish Associations also supported this year's event. read more

Donations will go to rebuilding efforts on the ground.
At a reception on March 7 at the Fil-American Multicultural Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) presented the National Philippine Cultural Foundation with a $25,000 donation to aid the Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts. read more

On February 27, the Ahiska Turkish American Community Center (ATACC) in Dayton, Ohio opened a photo exhibit in the U.S. Congress to raise awareness of the Ahiska Turkish community's history and the ongoing discrimination against Ahiska Turks living in Russia. The exhibition was opened with a reception, sponsored by TCA, which marked the Ahiska Turkish community's first event on Capitol Hill. The opening was attended by several journalists, human rights activists and members of Congress, including Rep. Gene Green (D-TX), Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH), Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) and Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO). read more

On February 26, TCA co-sponsored a special reception and film screening to call attention to the dire need for increased housing on Native lands. Organized by the Navajo Housing Authority (NHA) and the National American Indian Housing Council (NAIHC), the event featured remarks by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), Turkish Ambassador to the U.S. Namik Tan, Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly, Navajo Housing Authority Chairman Edward T. Begaye, National American Indian Housing Council Chairwoman Cheryl Causley, TCA President G. Lincoln McCurdy, and others. read more

The TCA commemorates the twenty-second anniversary of the Khojaly massacre, which occurred on February 25-26, 1992 in the town of Khojaly located in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. As a result of this tragedy, approximately 2,000 innocent Azerbaijani civilians were deliberately killed and taken hostage by Armenian armed forces in what is known to be the worst atrocity of modern times in the South Caucasus region. read more

On February 13, Turkey hosted the eighth Turkey-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Summit, to strengthen political, security and economic cooperation among the three countries. During the Summit, Turkish President Abdullah Gül met Afghan President Hamid Karzai, while Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Pakistan's Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif. On the sidelines of the summit, foreign ministers, military officials and business leaders from the three countries met in separate sessions. read more

Turkish Airlines was named "Airline of the Year" by the Centre for Aviation (CAPA), a widely respected market analyst and data collector for the worldwide aviation industry. The award was presented at CAPA’s 11th annual Aviation Awards for Excellence ceremony. read more

How does the Orientalist discourse of the past inform and restructure the present political discourse on "the other"? How can we explain the continuity of political discourses that are constructed upon the 20th century's "scientific racism" (i.e., anthropological justification of racism and thus colonial conquest)? read more

On December 17, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) reversed the criminal conviction by a Swiss court of Dogu Percinek, a Turkish politician who publicly challenged that Armenians were subject to genocide in the final years of the Ottoman Empire nearly 100 years ago. read more

On December 17, Mexico and Turkey signed a Strategic Cooperation and Partnership Framework for the 21st Century, during Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s visit to Ankara. The 12 cooperation agreements seek to strengthen economic, scientific and diplomatic relations between the two countries. The signature ceremony also marked the 85th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Turkey and Mexcio. read more

By Peter Brown
Published in the Daily Beast on December 12, 2013
On the seventh anniversary of the death of music pioneer Ahmet Ertegun, Peter Brown, a former member of the Beatles core management, reflects on his friend’s legacy. December 14 marks the seventh anniversary of the death of Ahmet Ertegun, a dear friend who left a remarkable imprint on the world. The whole idea of Ahmet-son of a Turkish diplomat, race relations pioneer, rock-and-roll impresario (he did manage to get Led Zeppelin to reunite in tribute to him, albeit posthumously)-is so unlikely it can be said he could only have happened in America. read more

American-Indians living in Warm Springs region of Oregon, will get potable water with the help of a donation from Turkey. Turkey's donation of $200,000 to provide potable water to around five thousand American-Indians in Oregon is welcomed by the US Congress, Lincoln McCurdy, President of the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday. read more

November 15, 2013, Washington, D.C. - Officials from the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA), representatives from Oregon's Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (CTWS) and tribal leaders gathered at the residence of the Turkish ambassador to the United States on Tuesday to celebrate a $200,000 grant from TIKA to CTWS. The grant was awarded after a yearlong collaboration between the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA), the National American Indian Housing Council (NAIHC), and TIKA. read more

On November 10th, TCA paid tribute to the legacy of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who led the Turkish National War of Liberation, founded the modern Republic of Turkey and launched an extraordinary series of reforms that continue to inspire the Turkish nation. World-over, Ataturk is honored as one of the greatest national leaders of the 20th Century. In the words of Scottish historian, Patrick Balfour (the 3rd Baron Kinross): “the soldier in Ataturk had saved his country, the statesman in him had won for it the honorable peace, the reformer in him was now to make of it a new country.” read more

Nearly 80 years ago, two young Turkish brothers arrived in a deeply segregated Washington, D.C., and set on a course to help change race relations in America. Their path was not politics, but rock and roll and jazz. The lesson of Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun says as much about America as it does about those two remarkable men and their origins. This week, on the 90th anniversary of the founding of the modern Turkish state and through the prism of a “post-racial” America, it is worth recalling this remarkable journey. read more

TCA commemorated the 90th Anniversary of Turkish Republic Day on October 29. On this day in 1923, the newly recognized Turkish parliament proclaimed the establishment of the Republic of Turkey and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who led the Turkish National War of Liberation, was unanimously elected as its first president. read more

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2013 was awarded to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons. The OPCW is headed by Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu, a Turkish career diplomat. read more

On September 25, the National American Indian Housing Council (NAIHC) issued a letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, congratulating the Turkish people on the occasion of the upcoming 90th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey on October 29. The letter sent to Prime Minister Erdogan commends the efforts by Turkey and Turkish Americans in reaching out to Native Americans. In particular, the NAIHC expressed sincere appreciation for the educational and economic aid initiatives spearheaded by TCA benefitting Native Americans. read more

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced that the first World Humanitarian Summit will be held in Istanbul, Turkey in 2016. The announcement was made last week during an event held on the margins of the annual high-level General Assembly debate. read more

At the 4th Ministerial meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) in New York on 27 September, GCTF Co-Chairs, Turkey and the United States, announced that a core group of government and non-government partners from different regions plan to establish the first-ever public-private globalfund to support local efforts to counter violent extremism. read more

Washington, DC (September 17) - The Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) is pleased to announce its role in facilitating the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) grant award of $150,000 (USD) to Strategies for International Development (SID) a DC-based not-for-profit that helps alleviate rural poverty in Central and South America. This is the first time TIKA has awarded a grant to a country in Latin America. read more

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday threatened to sue the Times of London for publishing an open letter criticizing his handling of anti-government protests. read more

Next May, Turkish Airlines will begin to offer the first nonstop service from Boston Logan to Istanbul, Turkey with convenient connections to 237 global destinations, including cities in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, and more countries compared to any other airline. Boston Logan is the sixth U.S. destination of Turkish Airlines and the service will increase to daily Boston-Istanbul flights in June, 2014. read more

In an article by Ata Akiner published on the 23rd of July in the Washington Institute’s Policy Analysis, he argues that Washington, Brussels, and Ankara have numerous benefits to gain from a bilateral U.S.-Turkey free trade agreement (FTA), but they will need to act quickly to ensure that their efforts mesh with the U.S.-EU trade talks already in progress read more

TCA celebrates the 90th anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne, which recognized the boundaries of the modern state of Turkey. This international treaty was signed on July 24, 1923 and shortly thereafter, the Republic of Turkey was proclaimed on October 29. read more

On the 20th of July Turkish Cypriots celebrated the 39th anniversary of the Turkish peace operation in Cyprus, which served to protect the lives and liberty of the island’s Turkish community. Today, in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), July 20 is celebrated as "Peace and Freedom Day", with parades organized in all major towns. Speaking before a delegation from the Turkish War Veterans Association, President of the TRNC, Dr. Dervis Erorgolu, recently said: "It was with the Peace Operation that the Turkish Cypriot peoples were finally able to live in an atmosphere of peace and stability." read more

Turkey was the fourth-largest donor of humanitarian assistance last year, according to the annual report released by Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA). The GHA report says that Turkey contributed more than $1bn (or, 0.13%) of its national income in 2012. Much of the humanitarian aid provided by Turkey is likely to have been spent on housing Syrian refugees, the report says. Currently, Turkey is hosting close to half a million refugees from Syria. read more

The success of the TCA supported University of Utah program on the study of ethnic cleansing in Balkans and Caucasus during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, as well TCA’s programs that educate American lawmakers on issues of importance to the Turkish American community have drawn the recent attention of various Armenian media sources. read more

For over a century, from 1763 onwards, the peoples of Circassian lands situated in the north-western Caucasus defended their homelands against Russian expansion. On May 21, the 149th anniversary of this grave tragedy will be commemorated by Circassians in Turkey, the United States and across the world. read more

May 19, 1919 marks the beginning of the Turkish War of National Liberation, a turning point in Turkey's history. On this day, a young Ottoman general, Mustafa Kemal, arrived in Samsun. The man, who would later be known to the world as Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, stepped ashore on this small Black Sea Coast town to embark on a journey, which would ultimately create the Republic of Turkey and a new nation state. read more

US Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the bomb attacks in Reyhanli, a town located in southern Turkey, on the border with Syria. Secretary Kerry stated: "The United States condemns today's car bombings and we stand with our ally, Turkey. This awful news strikes an especially personal note for all of us given how closely we work in partnership with Turkey, and how many times Turkey's been a vital interlocutor at the center of my work as Secretary of State these last three months. read more

Participating in a conference on the Southern Caucasus held in Istanbul last week, Armenia’s National Congress faction Secretary Aram Manukyan told reporters that Armenia has been left out of regional projects due to the policies of its own government. read more

Every year on April 25, Turks, Australians and New Zealanders join together to commemorate ANZAC Day. On this day 98 years ago, with the Allies at their side, the newly formed Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACS) landed on the Gallipoli peninsula to invade the Ottoman Empire’s capitol, modern-day Istanbul, and take control of a precious WWI supply route to Russia. As support for the war waned, the British came to Australia with a propaganda machine aimed at encouraging young Australian men to sign-up to fight in this war on a foreign land half a world away. Over the next nine months, the Turks fought a bloody battle against the ANZACs, and while the Ottoman army ultimately prevailed, both sides suffered great hardships and heavy casualties. read more

The Turkish Coalition of America expresses its deep disappointment in President Obama's repeat of the same one-sided and historically inaccurate pronouncement as he does on every April 24th to appease certain hateful, single-issue Armenian groups. TCA will again send a package of books and documents to the White House in the hope that they will be read and that the office of the Presidency is not used again for such dissemination of half-truths. read more

On April 23, 1920 the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) was inaugurated in Ankara. It was the first step toward the creation of the Republic of Turkey, the roots of which were laid during the Turkish National War of Liberation led by Mustafa Kemal- later to be given the name Atatürk (father of Turks). read more

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan on Friday for the 2010 Israeli commando raid on Mavi Marmara, a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship, that killed 9 Turkish citizens, including a young Turkish-American. With Turkey and Israel being two of Washington's closest allies in the region, President Barack Obama facilitated the call between Netanyahu and Erdogan and said: “The United States deeply values our close partnerships with both Turkey and Israel, and we attach great importance to the restoration of positive relations between them in order to advance regional peace and security." read more

The Turkish Coalition of America’s 16th Congressional Delegation completed its visit to Turkey on February 24th. Since 2009 TCA has taken more than 155 members of Congress and senior staffers to Turkey and surrounding countries. read more

The TCA commemorates the twenty-first anniversary of the Khojaly massacre, which occurred on February 25-26, 1992 in the town of Khojaly located in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. As a result of this tragedy, approximately 2,000 innocent Azerbaijani civilians were deliberately killed and taken hostage by Armenian armed forces in what is known to be the worst atrocity of modern times in the South Caucasus region. read more

In an effort to alleviate the suffering of thousands of Iraq’s displaced Chaldean Christians who found refuge in Turkey, the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) awarded a grant of $100,000 to the Chaldean Federation of America (CFA). The final funds of the grant were dispersed recently through an aid program administered by the Chaldean-Assyrian Association (KADER) in Turkey. Reflecting on this humanitarian aid grant, leading members of the Chaldean American community expressed their gratitude to the TCA for the hand extended by Turkish Americans to displaced Iraqi Chaldeans. read more

On January 27, 1973, Turkish Consul General to Los Angeles Mehmet Baydar and Vice Consul Bahadir Demir were killed by an Armenian terrorist named Kourken Yanikian at the Baltimore Hotel in Santa Barbara. Yanikian was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment only to be released by California Governor George Deukmejian, of Armenian descent, after serving less than 11 years in prison. When Yanikian died shortly after his release, several hundred Armenian Americans attended his funeral and a memorial grave was built in his honor. The Armenian community’s embrace of this brutal act set the stage for a wave of terrorism that would last for over two decades. read more

Greek ultra-nationalists, brandishing Greek flags, broke through a police barrier and reached the official vehicle of the Turkish Consul General to Komotini, Ilhan Sener, who was visiting the Mayor of Kavala, Kostas Simichis. read more

On 17 December, the U.S. District Court for Washington D.C. held that Syria was vicariously liable for the 1991 kidnapping of a group of American biblical archeologists by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department, Turkey and the European Union. read more

TCA would like to pay tribute to Dave Brubeck, American jazz pianist and composer who passed away on December 5. Dave Brubeck's recordings and distinctive sound constantly won over listeners throughout his successful career. What makes Dave Brubeck intriguing to the world of jazz is his musical style, inspired by a U.S. State Department tour he and his band took to Eurasia in 1958. read more

Greece was ranked as having the most corrupt public sector of all 27 EU countries according to Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index. Data was gathered from 176 countries worldwide to score them on how corrupt their public sectors are seen to be. read more

This week, NATO agreed to deploy Patriot anti-missile batteries along the Turkish-Syrian border, providing a measure of security for Turkey in the event of an airborne attack from its neighbor. The Alliance took the decision amid reports that Damascus may be preparing to use chemical weapons as President Bashar al-Assad continues to fights rebels seeking to oust him. read more

Tiny Cyprus, like many countries in Southern Europe, has needed bailouts tokeep its economy afloat during the eurocrisis. More often than not, however, it has turned to Moscow rather than Brussels for the cash, raising concerns about whether one of the European Union's more recent members is more oriented toward East or West. Russia gave Cyprus a $3.1 billion loan in 2011 and, as of this writing, is considering ponying up another $6.2 billion, equivalent to morethan one-third of the country's entire economy. read more

The US should pursue closer partnerships with four powerful democracies — Brazil, India, Indonesia and Turkey, according to a report released on November 27 by the German Marshall Fund of the US (GMF) and the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). read more

The below letter was sent to President Barack H. Obama by G.Lincoln McCurdy, TCA President on November 27, 2012.

Dear Mr. President:
When you visited Turkey on your first bilateral trip as President in 2009, you remarked that “Turkey and the United States must stand together – and work together – to overcome the challenges of our time. read more

“In recent months, Greece’s economic woes have continued their downward spiral, coupled with an alarming rise in violence and political extremism, and the rhetoric has now spread into Greek diaspora communities in the United States. read more

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) passed a resolution on October 27, calling on the U.S. Congress to pass legislation that encourages and facilitates tribal trade with Turkey and other World Trade Organization (WTO) countries. read more

On October 29, 1923, the newly recognized Turkish parliament proclaimed the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, formally marking the end of the Ottoman Empire. On the same day, Mustafa Kemal, who led the Turkish National War of Liberation and was later named Atatürk (father of Turks), was unanimously elected as the first president of the Republic.

read more

Today TCA observes the 100th Anniversary of the start of the first Balkan War, which broke out on October 8, 1912. The war and those that followed caused immense suffering for all of the people of the Balkans. However, the tragedies suffered by the region’s Ottoman Muslims remain a story largely untold. read more

The TCA Commemorates the Korean War Armistice signed on July 27th 1953. During this war U.S. and Turkish forces fought side by side under U.N. command, along with other allied nations, to save South Korea from the threat of North Korean occupation. The Turkish armed forces were the only brigade-sized U.N. unit permanently attached to a U.S. division throughout the war. read more

TCA celebrates the 89th anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne, which recognized the boundaries of the modern state of Turkey. This international treaty was signed on July 24, 1923 and shortly thereafter, the Republic of Turkey was proclaimed on October 29. read more

Today marks the 38th anniversary of the Turkish peace operation on Cyprus on July 20, 1974 to protect the lives and liberty of the island’s Turkish community. The dispute over Cyprus did not begin in 1974. The independent Republic of Cyprus was born in 1960 as a partnership state based on the political equality of the co-founding Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot peoples. It had a Greek Cypriot president and a Turkish Cypriot vice-president, each with veto powers to ensure political equality at the executive level. read more

Turkey has opened its borders to an estimated 40,000 Syrian refugees fleeing the brutal crackdown in Syria by Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, according to Turkey’s disaster relief agency. Syrian refugees have since been sheltered in nine tent cities and a container camp established by Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD). read more

Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz underlined the need of restoring ties between Turkey and Israel during a speech delivered at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy on Tuesday. Expressing that Turkey is on its way to becoming a superpower in the region, Mofaz called on both nations to set their differences aside and work towards mending their strategic relationship. read more

President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met last Tuesday at the G-20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, to discuss regional developments and bilateral relations with a focus on Syria and Iraq. read more

On Wednesday, Israel’s state comptroller, the government’s watchdog, issued a report sharply criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of a 2010 military raid on a Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla. The raid, which took place in international waters, led to the death of eight Turkish citizens and a Turkish American youth aboard Mavi Marmara- the lead flotilla vessel. read more

The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee of Spain rejected a draft bill characterizing the Ottoman Armenian tragedy of World War I as genocide. The Senate Committee rejected the bill by 36 to three votes. It was proposed by two deputies from Amaiur, a left-wing Basque nationalist coalition. read more

For over a century, from 1763 onwards, the peoples of Circassian lands situated in the north-western Caucasus defended their homelands against Russian expansion. The Circassian people, who by and large adopted Islam in the eighteenth century, were almost entirely affected by the terrible destruction of their communities and the forced displacement from their historic homeland during the last decades of the Tsarist regime. Russian General Yevdokimov was tasked to execute this policy of forced displacement as of 1860 with newly formed mobile columns of riflemen and Cossack cavalry. read more

On May 18, 1944, the entire Crimean Tatar population in Crimea, was rudely awakened by Soviet soldiers, loaded on trucks, taken to the nearest train stations and brutally deported to Central Asia, the Urals and Siberia. read more

Last week, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Australian counterpart, Julia Gillard met in Ankara, Turkey and agreed to work closely together to commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign. The two leaders announced that 2015 would be proclaimed the Year of Turkey in Australia and the Year of Australia in Turkey. Both countries have an established practice of paying national tributes to each other to honor the memory of the 1915 campaign, which claimed tens of thousands of lives. read more

The Supreme Court of Greece has denied the Xanthi Turkish Union to use the word “Turk” in its name despite a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The Xanthi Turkish Union was closed down in 1986 following a complaint filed by the Xanthi governor on grounds that usage of the word “Turk” was a threat to the national security of Greece. Upon exhausting all domestic legal remedies, the Xanthi Turkish Union filed a case with the ECHR, which held in 2008 that Greece had violated the right of freedom of assembly and association of the Turkish community. read more

The TCA commemorates the twentieth anniversary of the Khojaly massacre, which occurred on February 25-26, 1992 in the town of Khojaly located in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. As a result of this tragedy, approximately 2,000 innocent Azerbaijani civilians were deliberately killed and taken hostage by Armenian armed forces in what is known to be the worst atrocity of modern times in the South Caucasus region. read more

A mysterious Russian cargo ship limped into the Cypriot port of Limassol, this month, forced to seek shelter from a violent storm. Hidden on board the MS Chariot were four containers packed with 60 tonnes of ammunition for AK-47s and for rocket launchers. The shipment had come from Moscow's state arms company, Rosoboronexport; its shadowy purchaser was none other than the Syrian government. read more

It all began when crisis-stricken Greek TV channels realized that buying the glitzy tales of forbidden love, adultery, clan loyalties and betrayal from long-standing regional rival Turkey, was cheaper than filming their own. The action-packed dramas quickly came to dominate the ratings despite the fact that they are broadcast in Turkish with only subtitles in Greek and have gained a devoted following among a Greek populace disheartened by the country's biggest financial crisis in decades. read more

On January 7, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen visited Turkey for the first time, and met, also for the first time, her Turkish relatives in an Istanbul reunion organized by the Turkish Coalition of America. read more

An opening ceremony was held on December 28 at the recently renovated Vordvots Vorotman Armenian Church in Istanbul, Turkey. The ceremony was conducted by Deputy Armenian Patriarch of Turkey, Archbishop Aram Ateshyan. read more

Barring a last-minute surprise in the U.S. Senate, the well-qualified diplomat President Obama sent to serve as ambassador to Azerbaijan will have to come home in less than a month. read more

The Turkish Coalition of America strongly denounces the passage of H.Res. 306, which unfairly and hypocritically targets Turkey for alleged religious discrimination against Christian communities within its borders. read more

The Turkish economy expanded 8.2% in the third quarter, dramatically exceeding market forecasts and following an 8.8% expansion in the second quarter. Turkey’s growth was surpassed by China which scored 9.1 % in the same quarter. read more

Is the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom squinting at a transparent Turkish Muslim injustice perpetrated by a Christian Greek government? read more

On November 17, the House Committee on Natural Resources voted 27-15 to pass the Indian Tribal Trade and Investment Act, H.R. 2362, which will now be reported favorably to the House for a final vote. read more

On November 2, an international conference on Afghanistan was held in Istanbul, Turkey. Hosted by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, the Istanbul Conference was attended by leaders from the broader region and Europe, as well as senior representatives from NATO, the United Nations, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. On the eve of the conference, Turkish President Abdullah Gul hosted a trilateral meeting with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani counterpart Asif Zardari. read more

October 5, 2011, Washington, D.C. – The Turkish Coalition of America extends its congratulations to Francis Ricciardone, the current United States Ambassador to Turkey, who has been appointed to serve a full diplomatic term in Ankara. Ricciardone’s appointment was confirmed by a voice vote of the Senate on Tuesday evening. He has represented the U.S. in Turkey since January after receiving a presidential recess appointment. read more

A religious ceremony was held on September 11 at the historical Armenian Church of Akdamar in Van, Turkey. This is the second religious ceremony to be held at the church since its restoration by the Ministry of Culture of Turkey in 2007. The ceremony, led by Archbishop Aram Atesyan of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey, was attended by approximately 3,000 people. read more

The Turkish Coalition of America applauds the vote by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to support the continued service of Ambassador Francis Ricciardone as the United States Ambassador to Turkey. Ambassador Ricciardone has worked to strengthen one of America’s most important bilateral partnerships," said G.Lincoln McCurdy, TCA president. read more

William “Billy” Hayes, the “hero” of the movie Midnight Express, visited Turkey last week and in a widely publicized press conference stated that the movie was a gross exaggeration and one-sided misrepresentation of his experience in Turkey. He expressed his regret and accepted responsibility for the damage the film inflicted on Turkey’s image worldwide for decades. read more

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyib Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis officially inaugurated a pipeline on November 18 carrying the first natural gas from the Shah Deniz field in Azerbaijan to Europe. The 300 km pipeline project was hailed as the start of a new period of bilateral co-operation between Greece and Turkey. The pipeline links western Turkey with north-east Greece beneath the Marmara Sea and was built by a joint venture of the Turkish and Greek gas utility corporations. read more

A new study identified present-day Turkey as the homeland of the Indo-European language family. The international research team, led by Quentin Atkinson, at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, used computational methods to analyze words from more than 100 ancient and contemporary languages, as well as geographical and historical data. By doing so, the scientists say they have pinned down the origin, about 8,000 years ago, of the largest global language to Anatolia, present-day Turkey. read more