The Turkish Coalition of America’s 16th Congressional Delegation completed its visit to Turkey on February 24th. Since 2009 TCA has taken more than 155 members of Congress and senior staffers to Turkey and surrounding countries. This delegation, comprised of 14 Congressional staffers, first visited Ankara where the group had the honor of participating in a wreath-laying ceremony at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The delegation also participated in high-level meetings with U.S. and Turkish officials, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economy, members of Parliament and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA). These meetings allowed the staffers to engage in an active dialogue on the current state of U.S.-Turkey relations, Turkey’s foreign policy, and its booming economy. Meetings were also held with the Ankara office of the German Marshall Fund and the Eurasian Research Center.
The Turkish American leadership expresses its sincere commendations for the forthright action of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who apologized to the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a mishandled Israeli military operation that resulted in the deaths of nine Turkish civilians, including a Turkish American, on a cruise ship, Mavi Marmara, in the eastern Mediterranean. The ship was heading for Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid. We had called upon Turks to reserve judgement, neither condemning nor condoning Israel, and calling upon a multilateral commission of inquiry. Please see ATAA Release.
Mexico City, 14 March 2013—Arab States could reap a major “demographic dividend” if they can convert their advances in education into employment opportunities for youth, says the 2013 Human Development Report. But a failure to accelerate job growth could further exacerbate social and economic tensions in the region, the Report warns. The 2013 Human Development Report— The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World—is being launched in Mexico City today with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. 
An average of more than 50,000 people slept each night in New York City's homeless shelters for the first time in January, a record that underscores an unsettling national trend: a rising number of families without permanent housing. New York City's homeless population reached a record 50,000 reported individuals in January, and is indicative of a troubling national trend. Michael Howard Saul explains. Photo: Getty Images. Families have become a larger share of the nation's homeless population, growing 1.4% from 2011 to 2012, after their numbers fell as the economy emerged from recession.
AA - Turkish President Abdullah Gul said that Turkish-US relations were one of the main pillars of Turkish foreign policy. According to the web site of the Turkish Presidency, Gul, Kerry and an accompanying delegation on Friday discussed bilateral and regional relations in detail. President Gul, congratulating Kerry for having been assigned the position of US Secretary of State, stressed that Kerry's visit came at a time when many critical developments were taking place in the region. 
AA- US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday attended the commemoration ceremony for the Turkish guard killed at the bomb attack to US Embassy in Ankara. Kerry soon after arriving in Ankara went to the embassy to attend the ceremony for Mustafa Akarsu, the Turkish guard who was killed by terrorist attack on February 1. The ceremony took place in the garden of the diplomatic compound and Kerry decorated Akarsu family with Thomas Jefferson Star which is rarely given for the heroic actions on behalf of US government. 
From 24/7 Wall St.: Three years ago, 24/7 Wall St. published the net worth of every American president, from Washington to Obama. We have updated our numbers to reflect the earnings of the still-living presidents. One thing remains clear: it pays to be president, especially after leaving office. 24/7 Wall St. examined the finances of all 43 presidents to identify the richest. 
ISTANBUL (AFP) - Turkey is set to make a "clean break" with the International Monetary Fund by paying off its remaining debt by May, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday. "We have been paying and paying... Right now the debt stands at $860 million (643 million euros)," Erdogan said in televised remarks. "When we pay the last slice in May, we will zero out the debt and make a clean break," he added. Erdogan said his Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, which took over a $23.5 billion IMF debt when it came to power in 2002, was in talks to loan five billion dollars to the the global institution.
WASHINGTON- US State Department stated Ambassador Ricciardone only reiterated what Clinton had said earlier. The Spokesperson for the US State Department, Victoria Nuland said that US Ambassador in Ankara, Francis Ricciardone only reiterated what former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had said on several Turkish court cases.
Relations between Turkey and the United States are expected to enter a new and intensified hectic period amid ongoing regional crises, such as Syria’s turmoil and Iran’s controversial nuclear drive, amid Democrat Barack Obama’s victory in the U.S. presidential elections.
On May 16, 2012, as a result of the Pax Turcica annual action to recognize the 94th anniversary of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the Governor of the State of Rhode Island, Lincoln D. Chafee, issued a formal proclamation (citation) greeting the people of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani community in Rhode Island. This recognition by the Rhode Island Governor was received by and due to the efforts of Azerbaijani-American Council (AAC) representative in Rhode Island and a long-time Pax Turcica activist, Zikret Hasan. 
