ATAA's Letter to President-Elect Barack Obama

Senator Barack Obama
713 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

11.10.2008

Dear President-Elect Barack Obama,

On behalf of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), I would like to extend our sincere congratulations on the occasion of your victory in the 2008 presidential elections - elections that have filled the hearts of many Americans with hope and excitement. My name is Nurten Ural and I am the president of the ATAA. Our institution is a fast-growing 501(c)3 umbrella organization, bringing together 65 Turkish American associations throughout the United States, Canada and Turkey, dedicated to pursuing the interests of Turkish Americans and friends of Turkey in Washington and beyond. ATAA and the Turkish-American community closely followed the campaign period since its very outset. Today, 73 days before your inauguration, all of us look forward to working with you and Vice President-Elect Joe Biden on issues facing our country, Turkey and the world.

We strongly believe that your term of presidency will be most fruitful and rewarding. In your quest to reinvigorate the economy, public welfare and foreign policy, we pledge our full support as you become President of our great nation, the United States of America. As you have eloquently encapsulated in one of the most inspiring public speeches of recent times, the 2008 elections proved that the true strength of our nation comes from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope. In all four, your administration will find a tested friend in Turkey. Being the most successful secular democracy in the Muslim-world with its multi-cultural populace, Turkey continues to advance the ideals of rule of law and transparency in its region. This fact has become crystal-clear once again with the United Nations’ decision to admit Turkey as a non-permanent member to the Security Council with an overwhelming majority in a vote last month.

With regards to bringing dialogue back to American diplomacy and building reliable security alliances through mutual understanding, once again, your administration will find that Turkey and the Turkish-American community wholeheartedly share your visions. Turkey’s centuries-old ties and relations with Syria, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, would be an invaluable asset in laying the foundations of a new diplomatic initiative in the next four years. Even at the expense of being the target of numerous attacks by Al-Qaida since 2003, Turkey has continued to be a steadfast supporter of humanitarian aid, economic cooperation and assistance to countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Indonesia and the African continent to fight terrorism as well as its underlying causes, such as poverty and the lack of education. Turkey is a NATO leader in Afghanistan and has twice led NATO's International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul and has maintained the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Wardak. It also assumed responsibility as the central mediator between Syria and Israel in recent negotiations over the Golan Heights. Turkey is an active member of the OSCE Minsk Group seeking to solve the stalemate between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

As Turkish Americans, we look forward facing the challenges of a new era between the United States and Turkey. Once again, we pledge our full support to advance this relationship to benefit our two nations and, in the words of our founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, to preserve peace at home - peace in the world.

Respectfully Yours,

Nurten Ural, President
Assembly of Turkish American Associations