A Turning Point in Turkish American Public Advocacy

The passage of H.Res. 252 represented ethnic politics at its worst, and made a mockery of the U.S. legislative, judicial and foreign policy processes.  Indeed, United States foreign policy regarding Turkey, Armenia and the broader region was hijacked by ultra-nationalist Armenian politics in a few Congressional districts.

The recalling of Turkish Ambassador Namık Tan was an expression of Turkey's disappointment in what now appears to be a contradiction in the United States' position on Turkish-Armenian rapprochement.  It was also an expression in defense of the dignity of the Turkish people to whom the U.S. now appears to have denied fair and just treatment by this prejudicial resolution. 

At this stage it is difficult to expect the Turkish people to support the ratification of the Turkey - Armenia protocols, as the people's interest now turns to whether U.S. President Obama will work to rehabilitate U.S. credibility in Turkey and among Turkish Americans, or permit further deterioration in a Proclamation on April 24.  Furthermore, a gentlemen's agreement between the White House and HFAC not to bring H.Res. 252 to a floor vote appears empty, as confidence in the ability of the Resolution to actually pass Congress is meager.

H.Res. 252 signals a turning point in Turkish American public advocacy.  The 23-22 vote reflects the growing efficacy of the Turkish American public advocacy network, including its infrastructure, technical abilities, critical mass, cooperation, solidarity, and determination.  In 2007, H.Res. 106 passed the HFAC 27-21, after the late Congressman Tom Lantos voted in favor of the motion, and was followed by three standby members.  In 2005, H.Res. 316 and 195 passed overwhelmingly 42-7 and 35-11.  This is just the beginning, as an awakening Turkish American community and a resurging Turkish Republic take command of their destiny for "Peace at Home, Peace in the World."

I thank the Turkish American community for the tremendous efforts.  In solidarity within diversity, over 5000 letters were submitted through the ATAA-FTAA-TCA campaign.  ATAA visited most of the HFAC members at least once at the local level and three times on Capitol Hill.  On March 3, 2010, the ATAA, FTAA and Turkish faith-based groups visited each HFAC member one final time.

I also thank the Azerbaijani, Crimean, Turkmen, Uzbek, Kazakh, Kirghiz, and Uighur American communities for their support.  The Azerbaijan Society of America in New York - PaxTurcica in Los Angeles - USAN in Washington, DC supported the ATAA-FTAA-TCA letter campaign and Congressional visits.  In addition, the Azerbaijanian American Cultural Alliance traveled from Texas to show its support at the March 4 HFAC Hearing.

I thank the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) for their invaluable support and guidance.

Finally, I thank the ATAA Executive Committee, Board of Directors, Board of Trustees, and ATAA's dedicated staff for their excellence in representing the Turkish American community in opposition to H.Res. 252 and in support of U.S.-Turkish relations.  They have done this in parallel with four major ATAA projects, including Census 2010 SayTurk, Turkish American Broad Advocacy Network (TABAN) grassroots program, Turkish Student Outreach, and MediaWatchNow.
 
Our work is not finished, though. In fact, we are only starting.  We will now build on this momentum to forge strong relations with our representatives and to educate them on matters concerning U.S. - Turkish relations.  We will work to establish lasting bonds with all Americans for American diversity and unity.  We will revive, reinvigorate, and grow our component organizations to reach out to every Turkish American in all 50 states, to defend and promote our rich heritage.


Gunay Evinch
President
Assembly of Turkish American Associations