Contact:
Nurten Ural, President ATAA
Allison Block, Advocacy Director, ATAA
Tel: 202.483.9090
E-mail: president@ataa.org

LAS VEGAS, NV-February 7, 2008 - As part of its public outreach plan, ATAA was in Las Vegas this week to meet with community members and local elected leaders there. While in Las Vegas, ATAA President Nurten Ural and Advocacy Director Allison Block, along with numerous members of the community, met with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, and also with staff from the office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

"It was a great opportunity for the community to further develop the relationship with Mayor Goodman," said Advocacy Director Allison Block. "We had a very productive and positive dialogue with him that I'm sure will continue."

Turkish Americans from Las Vegas and ATAA Representatives met with Mayor Goodman in his office to discuss issues that concern the community in Las Vegas, including the erection of a monument commemorating the alleged Armenian Genocide in a park in the Las Vegas area. The community members expressed their concerns regarding such a monument, including concerns about erecting monuments to events that are not based on fact or agreed upon by historians or international courts of law. The group also conveyed their concern about the potential for the escalation of tension between groups in the community. The mayor attempted to allay the groups concerns by reminding them that this is merely an expression of an opinion of a group of people and is not a political endorsement or recognition of the events in which the memorial is commemorating.

The meeting with Senate Majority Leader Reid's staff also gave the community an opportunity to demonstrate the active roles that Turkish Americans play throughout Nevada and in particular, Las Vegas, both professionally and voluntarily.  The group provided Senator Reid's office with documents, books and DVDs about Turkey and the issues that concern Turkish Americans.

ATAA Staff also had meetings with board members of the local Turkish American association to discuss ways the association can grow, including membership recruitment and fundraising. As the number one resource for Turkish Americans, ATAA hopes to provide the association with the information it needs to be a growing and influential organization in the Las Vegas area.