Native American Delegation to Build Bridges in Turkey

Representatives of 17 Tribes to Meet with Turkish Leaders


November 4, 2010, Washington, DC – Representatives from 17 Native American tribes will leave the U.S. on Nov. 6 for a weeklong business, educational and cultural exchange trip to Turkey on Turkish Airlines’ inaugural flight from Washington, DC to Istanbul, organized by the Turkish Coalition of America.

Participants on the first Native American Business Cooperation Trip are scheduled to meet with Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoglu, Minister for Foreign Trade Zafer Caglayan, and members of the Turkish Parliament’s Turkey-USA Friendship Group.

The group will also meet with representatives of the Turkish Exporters’ Council; participate in business symposiums and networking at Istanbul Technical University, Hacettepe University, and Bahcesehir University; and visit Gallipoli, the site of a World War I campaign that still resonates with Turks as a defining moment in the history of the Turkish people and the modern Republic of Turkey.

“The Native American Business Cooperation Trip is the highlight of our recent efforts to foster increased economic and cultural ties between Turkey and Indian Country,” said G. Lincoln McCurdy, president of TCA. “It is one of the largest Native American international delegations in recent years, and the first to visit Turkey. This trip marks the latest evolution in our work promoting the development of relationships between the Turkish peoples and the many ethnic and cultural groups in the United States.”

TCA has already organized three meetings with Minister for Foreign Trade Caglayan in 2010, including two meetings in the U.S. between Minister Caglayan and Native American delegations, laying the groundwork for the Business Cooperation Trip.

The delegation will travel to Turkey on Nov. 6 and return on Nov. 14.  Other participants on Turkish Airlines’ inaugural flight include Members of Congress, journalists, and think tank experts.

Tribes Represented on Native American Business Cooperation Trip:

Arizona

•   Navajo Nation

Idaho

•   Couer d’Alene Tribe

Louisiana

•   Tunica-Biloxi Tribe

Michigan

•   Bay Mills Tribe of Chippewa

Montana

•   Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes

•   Crow Tribe

•   Salish & Kootenai Tribes

New Mexico

•   Navajo Nation

New York

•   Seneca Nation

Oklahoma

•   Cherokee Nation

•   Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes

•   Fort Sill Apache Tribe

•   Osage Nation

•   Quapaw Tribe

South Dakota

•   Rosebud Sioux/Sicangu Oyate

Washington

•   Tribes of Colville Reservation

•   Yakama Nation

Wisconsin

Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians