Ambassador Serdar Kilic assumed Turkey's top diplomatic post in the U.S. in April 2014, after previously serving as Turkey's Ambassador to Japan, the Secretary General of Turkey?s National Security Council, Turkey's Ambassador to Lebanon and other positions handling public policy matters, including NATO and Euro-Atlantic security and defense. This is Ambassador Kilic's second posting in the U.S., having served 26 years ago in 1989 as Vice Consul in Los Angeles. Today, Ambassador Kilic leads the largest diplomatic mission of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and pursues a dynamic diplomatic agenda for the Republic of Turkey. Below, Ambassador Kilic answered our questions about U.S.-Turkish relations and current events.
The New York Times has rejected an advertisement from a Turkish-American advocacy group calling for the reconciliation between Turks and Armenians on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the 1915 incidents. The newspaper said the advertisement would be seen as a denial of "great historical events that re [sic] generally accepted as facts." The full-page open letter from the Turkish American National Steering Committee urges the U.S. government to refrain from politicizing the issue and instead promote peace and solidarity between the two nations.
As Dr. Mehmet Oz defends himself against 10 physicians requesting that Columbia University remove him from his current position, the TV talk show host also is seeking the opportunity to address their claims that he is opposed to genetically modified foods (GMOs) as well as the previous controversy over his episodes touting weight loss supplements, reported the Washington Post.
A Turkish businessman and educator has pledged $10 million towards the establishment of a university for Syrian refugees that have been displaced by the war and continuing violence in their homecountry. Enver Yucel, who has opened a number of private univiersities and operates K-12 private schools in Turkey, is hoping to attract the goodwill of international investors to fund the rest of the project. He recently sent a delegation to Reyhanli, where a large refugee camp is located, to meet with Syrian educators.
