Journalist Ali Cinar interviewed former high-ranking U.S. Government Official,Founder&Principal of Asgard Law Offices, Ramin Asgard about the Investor visa opportunities and the Turkey-US trade relationship.

 What does your company offer to business leaders? Can you explain the E2 Investor visa process? Is it difficult to get it? What are the requirements?     

What Asgard Law Offices Offers: U.S. investment, business, and entrepreneur immigration advisory services and a range of options, including the E-2 visa, the E-1 visa, the EB-5 green card, as well a range of business, family, and other immigration options for the U.S.  We also provide a range of Citizenship By Investment (CBI) and Residency By Investment (RBI) programs for other countries beyond the U.S., including Turkey.

The E-2 Investor Visa Process: The U.S. E-2 visa is a renewable investor visa available to citizens of select countries – including Turkey – which allows the investor to set up a new or existing business in the U.S.  The E-2 application provides long-term visa status for the applicant, his/her spouse, and children under 21.  It is possible to apply for an E-2 visa from inside the U.S. or apply overseas at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

Is the E-2 Difficult to Get?: While the E-2 Investor Visa has very specific requirements, if these requirements are met and the applicant – working with a qualified immigration attorney and business plan preparer – submits a well-documented and complete application, and performs adequately in their visa interview, the odds of approval are quite high.  Historically, the E-2 visa has a roughly 90% approval rate.  Processing time varies, but it is usually possible to complete the E-2 process in about 3 months.

Requirements for an E-2 Visa include:

-The applicant must be a citizen of an E-2 Treaty country;

-The applicant must be willing to invest in a new or existing business in the U.S. and be willing and able to manage and direct that business (not a passive investment);

-The investment must be “substantial”, an amount that varies depending on the type of business ($150,000 is a good baseline);

-The applicant must detail the lawful “Source of Funds” for the investment capital; and

-The applicant must prepare a comprehensive business plan for the new or existing  E-2 business, including financial projections and staffing plans.

Do you see opportunities for Turkish companies to invest and penetrate U.S Market?

Absolutely - 2021 was a record setting for Turkey-U.S. bilateral trade and investment, and 2022 looks like it may be even better, with positive trends across a range of bilateral issues including commercial ties, spurred on by the new Turkey-U.S. Strategic Mechanism and a shifting geopolitical landscape making positive Turkey-U.S. ties more vital than ever.  Turkey’s main exports to the U.S. remain textiles and footwear, machinery and appliances, stone, glass and metals, and transportation equipment.  These are traditional sectors for Turkish exports to the U.S., although some new Turkish niche products and services as well as technology services may be added to the bilateral trade mix.  Next year, 2023, is obviously a vitally important year for Turkey, and could see a major increase in Turkey-US commercial relations.  Not only is 2023 the 100^th anniversary of the Turkish Republic, 2023 will also witness Turkey’s Sakarya gas field coming onstream.   Turkey may even become an energy exporter, greatly enhancing its already pivotal role in the regional and global energy security domain in this time of acute shortages and supply disruptions. 

At the small business level, our firm has been proud to assist Turkish investors to enter the U.S. market through the E-2 Treaty Investor visa.  With an investment of $100,000 to $150,000 in a new or existing business, Turkish investors can start their U.S. business in a whole range of sectors while gaining an indefinitely renewable U.S. visa.  Such small businesses have always been a seedbed of entrepreneurship, particularly among immigrant communities.  Many successful Turkish entrepreneurs in the U.S., such as Hamdi Ulukaya (Chobani), began as immigrant entrepreneurs or built their careers thanks to a foundation from their entrepreneurial immigrant parents. 

For any Turkish entrepreneurs or would-be entrepreneurs wishing to pursue their American Dream, our firm will be hosting an informational webinar on July 22^nd to share textured insight into the E-2 Investor Visa.  Our webinar will include an immigrant entrepreneur and former U.S. Army veteran who will share his immigrant success story and offer valuable practical tips on setting up and successfully running a small business in America. 

One last note - It is worth adding that the E-1 Treaty Trader visa is also an exciting option for those in Turkey engaged in the import and export of goods and services who would like to operate their trading business in the U.S.  The E-1 visa is available to Turks who wish to set up a trading enterprise between the US, Turkey, and other markets.  For both the E-2 and E-1 visas, we offer business selection support, business plan support, investment support and secure funds transfer, immigration processing support, and visa compliance oversight to allow a trouble-free transition to the entrepreneur’s dream of being her or his own boss.  The good news is that in the U.S., bureaucratic hurdles and time needed to register and run a business are substantially less than in most countries.  In addition, the prestige of being a small business entrepreneur in America is substantial.  In fact, in a 2022 Gallup poll, small business ranked as the Number 1 most trusted institution in the U.S., even surpassing the military.  

 US and Turkey governments have 100 billion dollars trade volume objective. Is it possible? Which industries do you see opportunities or challenges?

Going back a long way to 2001, when I was the Turkey Economic Desk Officer at the Department of State, we were proud to achieve over $5 billion in U.S.-Turkey bilateral trade, and $1 billion in U.S. FDI in Turkey.  So, despite many bilateral challenges since then, the commercial relationship has definitely come a long way.  After hovering around $20 billion for the past decade, 2021 was a record year with trade volume nearing $30 billion.  President Erdogan’s ambitious goal of $100 billion would require the U.S.-Turkey relationship reaching a qualitatively different level.  As discussed earlier, the Strategic Mechanism, if advanced seriously by both countries, could lay the foundation for such a sustained expansion to a more strategic relationship including in the trade sphere.  Ideally, commercial ties would be allowed to flourish, and bilateral issues would be resolved amicably, without the volatility and disruptions to the economic relationship caused by periodic differences in the national security and regional policy sphere.  The UNGA meetings in New York coming up in September would be an ideal opportunity for Presidents Erdogan and Biden to meet and demonstrate their goodwill and mutual commitment to allow U.S.-Turkey bilateral ties to finally move closer to their full potential.

As I noted earlier, Turkey’s enhanced standing in the energy sector offers an opportunity for it to play a pivotal role in the energy industry, perhaps including a far higher level of engagement in the traditional and renewable energy sectors in the U.S. in the future.  In addition, health-and pharmaceuticals trade, especially given the ongoing challenges brought on by the pandemic, also present an opportunity.  Finally, trade in defense material, now on hold due to U.S. sanctions instituted after Turkish acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense system, offer high potential.  While Turkey still has not activated the S-400s, their presence has held up the sale of U.S. F-16 fighters to Turkey.  Getting by this impasse presents one of the challenges to increased U.S.-defense trade in particular, but also to solidifying the overall bilateral relationship.

About Ramin Asgard

Mr. Asgard is Founder and Managing Attorney at Asgard Law Offices, a U.S. based immigration law and global migration firm. Prior to resuming the practice of law, Mr. Asgard served as Senior Vice President for Global Business Development with First Pathway Partners, a US-based investment and global services firm. Previously, Mr. Asgard was a highly decorated veteran U.S. Foreign Service Officer with the Department of State, including tours as POLAD for GEN James Mattis and GEN David Petraeus at U.S. Central Command, Director of the Iran Regional Presence Office – Dubai, Director of the Persian Service at Voice of America, and Economic/Commercial Officer in Kabul.  Mr. Asgard is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association and serves on the Advisory Board of the Turkish Heritage Organization.   Mr. Asgard holds a JD from Tulane University, a Master’s in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA summa cum laude from Temple University. 

CNN Turk and Turk of America Journalist Ali Cinar interviewed distinguished experts on wildfires, and climate change. Two prominent pilots shared their recommendations from an aerial fighter perspective

Michele (Mike) Barbato, Professor of Structural Engineering and Structural Mechanics , Co-Director, Climate Adaptation Research Center, UC Davis

-How would climate change affect the forests and wildfires? What needs to be done to protect the wildfires?

Climate change can affect wildfires in several ways, generally increasing their severity and frequency, as well as producing a longer fire season. It can produce direct changes in the vegetation. It produces warmer, drier conditions and more extreme drought, drying the organic matter in the forest and making it more likely to burn. Warmer temperatures, drier conditions, and stronger winds also help the ignition and spread of fires, and make them harder to contain. The same warmer and drier conditions also contribute to the spread of different pests, like bark beetles, which can weaken or kill trees and make them easier to burn.

However, land use, forest management, and fire suppression policies also have significant effects on wildfire risk. Wildfire risk is increasing in a worrisome manner not only because the wildfire hazard mostly related to climate change is increasing, but also because we are building more and more in high fire severity places, thus increasing our vulnerability to wildfires.

What are the best ways to fight wildfires?

We need to learn how to live with wildfires as they are nature’s way to keep the forest ecosystems healthy. However, the wildfires we are experiencing now are very different from past wildfires, as they tend to be more severe and catastrophic. Our longer-term approach should consist of mitigating climate change through reduction of greenhouse gas emission, and promoting fire regimes that provide a balance between ecosystem health and resource protection. In the shorter term, we need to adapt to living with wildfires, through an appropriate combination of land use policies, fuel treatments, fire suppression, prescribed fires, and hardening of our built environment at both the individual building and community scale.

Beverly Law, Forest Ecosystems & Society, Oregon State University

-How would climate change impact on the forests and wildfires? What needs to be done to protect the forests?

Climate change is expected to increase the fire season length and the number and size of fires because heat and drought are the major drivers of fire.

It is best to protect communities by helping them design fire resistant home (like cement siding), and to have pavers, concrete or gravel from the buildings outward about 3 meters, and then for landscaping, bunch a few plants together in places and leave large gaps between them so fire doesn’t have a continuous fuel surface. Then for large parks or reserves, only manage fires as the come through, and in typically dry areas, underburning when it is cool and wet to keep the fuels down.

-What can be done on climate change globally?

Phase out fossil fuels, and set aside Strategic Climate Reserves where no logging nor mining is allowed to allow woodlands and forests store their large amounts of carbon and accumulate more for decades. The reserves are essential to reduce the rapidly increasing rate of extinctions of plants and animals that is occurring – that is, to protect biodiversity of the ecosytems, as our lives depend on functioning ecosystems.

Stephanie Pincetl ,Professor
Director California Center for Sustainable Communities ,Chair Environmental Sciences and Engineering Program Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, UCLA

-How would climate change impact forests and wildfires? What needs to be done to protect the wildfires?

There will be more fires. We can not fight our way out of them. We need to stop building outward in highly flammable areas.

-What be your recommendation for countries such as NATO Ally Turkey on climate change policies? ( int. coop, investment, operation etc)

Dramatic reduction of fossil energy dependence. Collaboration about how to build a new decarbonized future.

Charles Lees ,Pilot

What are the best ways to fight wildfire when it comes to aerial firefighter pilots?

The answer is rapid response of aircraft and fire crews. When a fire gets large, aircraft lose effectiveness and ground resources get overwhelmed. In California we can reach most fires within twenty minutes of dispatch, usually sooner. It’s also important to keep in mind that aircraft generally don’t put the fire out we just support firefighters on the ground by suppressing fires so they can defend structures or move more rapidly to contain the fire.
What is your organization do on the international level?

I’m not a Calfire employee I’m a contract pilot for Calfire. In my mind Calfire is probably the most effective fire fighting team in the world. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience that they could share internationally. LP Aviation consultants is a group that can advise countries on aerial firefighting and train pilots for fire fighting. I am the managing director and happy to travel to any country to help.

What is the future of fighting wildfires?

I think the aerial firefighting industry will continue to grow.

Ilissa Ocko, Ph.D. Sr. Climate Scientist ,Barbra Streisand Chair of Environmental Studies Environmental Defense Fund

Climate change creates ideal conditions for wildfires through hotter temperatures and shifting weather patterns. Wildfire season is lasting longer in many parts of the world, with more large fires and larger areas burned. Researchers have shown that over a dozen recent wildfire events across the world have been worsened from human-caused climate change. With more warming expected in the future, we expect more large fires and more areas burned, causing dangerous air quality conditions and severe property damage. This underscores the urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions immediately, and especially methane, which can help slow down the rate of warming over the next few decades.

Hugh Safford ,Department of Environmental Science & Policy Regional,UCLA Davis & Ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region Department of Environmental Science and Policy

-How would climate change impact forests and wildfires? What needs to be done to protect the wildfires?

Climate warming is resulting in drier fuels, as well as increased water deficits which increase stress on trees and other plants and lead to plant mortality, which increases dead fuel loads. Dead fuels are more flammable than live fuels and are more easily lofted into the air as embers, which can start “spot fires” out ahead of the main fire and greatly increase fire spread rate and makes for very dangerous conditions for fire fighters and other people who can become trapped by fire.

The major forest management decisions depend to a great extent on the natural role of fire in the ecosystem and the adaptations that Forest species have to fire (Some forest types burn very hot naturally under nearly all conditions, others only under extraordinary weather conditions). But also of course on the density of people living in the forest and things like construction materials, the road network (how many escape routes are there?), and the Availability of fire fighting resources.

What are the best models/approach when it comes to forest management? As an example, many tourists areas or residential areas nearby forests. İs a smart decision to make buildings nearby forests?

In all of the worlds Mediterranean-climate zones (which include, for example, California, SW Australia, and SW South Africa aside from the Med Basin) people have built in areas of very high fire risk because until recently fire fighters were able to control fires relatively easily (and also communities and the development and real estate markets have fought back against restrictions on building). But in some forest types the actual lack of fire over the last century has increased fuels and therefore fire risk (but not in all forest types!) and the warming climate is now making fires in these denser forests very difficult to control.

Jerome Javal, Associated Aerial Firefighters

What are the best ways to fight wildfire when it comes to aerial firefighter pilots?

The best way is to augment the capacity for initial attack. Initial phase of a fire is the window first 2 hours after the fire has been detected and located. Sending Ground Firefighters with engines, water tenders, bull dozers and Air support (fixed wings and rotor wings). The fire is small and it's the best time to fight it, stop it and put it out. Extended attack (past the first 2 hour Initial Attack window) usually sees an exponential demand for aircraft due to exponential spread of the fire. The fleet of aircraft must be sufficient in numbers to cover the territory with Retardant Reload bases and accessible water sources (Scoopers, helicopters), minimizing the flight Time between the water source or Tanker Base and returning to the fire.
Even though California is prepared for extreme fire seasons, it seems we need more aircraft, and it is a complicated process to modify some aircraft to tankers. Takes time and is quite expensive.

Then, the next issue is Pilots...

Training an experienced pilot to become a Safe and Efficient Tanker pilot takes:

1. a good training organization (mostly done "in house" by State agencies or private Tanker companies).

2. Takes a good syllabus and Instructor cadre able to coach/teach the Tanker trainees

3. Takes Time: 2 fire seasons at least to complete Tanker Training with no assurance of success

What is your organization do on the international level?

CalFire is California State agency. Nothing international, just mutual agreement with neighbor States(Oregon, Nevada)

Would potential future pilots come and get the best training from your organizations?

Possibly yes. Must be decided by the Agency.

What is the future of fighting wildfires?

Augment and dedicate the fleets to fire fighting. Improve the Contracts (longevity and quality) for Contractors Companies willing to do this line of work.

What be your recommending for countries such as NATO Ally Turkey ? ( investment, operation etc)

Don't count on NATO. Turkey should study the best system(or a combination of several systems: Canada, France. California and others) and adapt it to the country, the terrain, local infrastructures. Then invest in various aircraft which complement each other; scoopers and land-based tankers(Retardant), Helicopters.

Create a Training center were crews and fire fighters can get trained, meet on a regular basis to brief, debrief the fire season.