[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 156 (Thursday, December 2, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2058]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               COMMEMORATING TURKEY ON THEIR REPUBLIC DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL DELAHUNT

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 2, 2010

  Mr. DELAHUNT. Madam Speaker, I recently returned from the Franklin 
Center for Global Policy Exchange's 26th TransAtlantic Conference in 
Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey.
  Joining me for this bipartisan conference were House colleagues Jean 
Schmidt, Frank Lucas, James Sensenbrenner, and Jim Moran.
  This conference brought together Turkish and European Union 
government officials, members of the diplomatic community, scholars, 
and private sector leaders, to find ways to enhance understanding of 
the global challenges currently facing the U.S. and Turkey. We 
discussed how vital the bilateral relationship has been to both 
countries and how the alliance has served our national interest for 
over 60 years.
  The key to our relationship is strengthening collaboration toward 
shared goals. Only with a renewed sense of trust and understanding will 
this partnership continue to thrive in the 21st century.
  In honor of the deep friendship between the U.S. and Turkey, I come 
to the House Floor today to congratulate the Turkish people and their 
government on the 87th anniversary of the founding of their nation by 
Mustafa Kemal on October 29, 2010.
  Mustafa Kemal, who was later given the name Ataturk, meaning ``father 
of the Turks,'' rejected the crumbling structures and outdated modes of 
empire and embraced instead a platform of reform and modernization, a 
legacy that continues in Turkey to this day.
  I am pleased to take this opportunity to highlight some of the 
incredible accomplishments of one of the world's most dynamic nations. 
Over the past 87 years, Turkey has joined the G20, NATO and the United 
Nations, becoming a leader on many diplomatic issues in the Middle 
East, Europe and around the world. She has led humanitarian missions in 
Afghanistan and Iraq, and taken the lead in the United Nations relating 
to Somali pirates and North Korea.
  Turkey has followed President Ataturk's vision by partnering with the 
West, and also by building relationships with its neighbors to help 
stabilize the region.
  I speak for the American people in extending our wishes for the 
continued strength and success of the Republic of Turkey.

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