:::TurkishPAC:::

The Turkish Coalition of America is accepting applications for its 2010 Washington Summer Internship Program. This program provides an opportunity for Turkish American students to live and work in Washington D.C., learn about the American political process, and explore career opportunities in public affairs. Designed to enhance Turkish American participation in political life and to cultivate the future generation of Turkish American leaders, the program lasts up to 8 weeks between June-August 2010. Interns will be provided an opportunity to work in congressional offices, select governmental and non-governmental organizations. A monthly stipend will be provided by TCA.

Turkey closed its Armenian Border and suspended the relations between Turkey and Armenia as a consequence of the Armenian occupation of the Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabagh, in 1992.  Recently a protocol between the Turkish and the Armenian governments has been signed, which may lead to the opening of Borders and normalizations of relations between the two nations, if approved by both nations’ parliaments.

During the 2008 elections campaign, David Krikorian slung mud at the incumbent Congresswoman Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) by claiming that "Representative Jean Schmidt had taken $30,000 in blood money to deny the genocide of Christian Armenians by Muslim Turks.”

This was of course another Armenian smear campaign, which they use against any congressional or local candidate who refuse to take for granted their narrow-minded arguments, falsified genocide claims and fanatical anti-Turkish agenda.

With Representative Larry Kissell's (D-NC/8th) participation on September 24th, membership of the caucus on US-Turkish relations reached 95. Click here for an alphabetical list of the members and here for a breakdown by state. 

9th Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated the 2000 Poochigian Law, in Movsesian v. Victoria Versicherung, et al.

In 2000 California enacted a law sponsored by state Senator Chuck Poochigian that sought to force insurance companies that had sold life insurance in the Ottoman Empire to Ottoman Armenians in effect to pay reparations to Armenian claimants under the disputed theory that they died from acts of genocide.

       

With the newest additions of Robert Latta (R-Ohio/5th District), Brian Baird (D-Washington/3rd District), Rodney Alexander (R-Louisiana/5th District), Vic Snyder (D-Arkansas/2nd District) and Russ Carnahan (D-Missouri/3rd District), the Caucus on US-Turkish Relations and Turkish Americans in the US House of Representatives reached its highest membership since its formation and now includes 87 members of Congress. The Turkish Caucus is a bi-partisan platform for members of Caucus to focus on US-Turkish relations and issues that concern Turkish Americans. Many of its members have joined this Caucus due to the efforts of their Turkish American constituents and friends of Turkey.

A full list of the Caucus members can be found at TCA website.