Turkish Forum

Category: Armenian Question

“The great Turk is governing in peace twenty nations from different religions. Turks have taught to Christians how to be moderate in peace and gentle in victory.”Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary

  • Legal battle over Armenian genocide museum ends in philanthropist’s favor

    Legal battle over Armenian genocide museum ends in philanthropist’s favor

    armenian museum

    National Bank of Washington building (center) and four structures to the left reverted to the Cafesjian Foundation. PQLiving.com

    By MICHAEL DOYLE

    McClatchy Newspapers

    WASHINGTON — A nasty, long-running legal battle over a proposed Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum has ended for now, with a judge returning the valuable downtown Washington, D.C., property to a wealthy philanthropist who said he was wronged.

    The 190-page ruling by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly is a blow to the Armenian Assembly of America and a victory for retired businessman Gerard L. Cafesjian. Precisely what it means for the proposed museum’s future, though, remains unclear.

    “The museum will be built,” Cafesjian’s attorney, John Williams, said Thursday, adding that Cafesjian is “going to reach out to the Armenian community and present a plan for moving forward.” But in a sign of the difficulties ahead, the attorney for the Armenian Assembly of America said he was “disappointed” and stressed that “we have to consider what the net effect” might be on the museum’s future.

    “We’re not ruling anything out,” attorney Michael DeMarco said Thursday.

    Under the ruling, the museum site several blocks from the White House will be returned to the Cafesjian Family Foundation. A World War II veteran who turns 86 this year, Cafesjian built the foundation with a fortune made by selling West Publishing, a Minnesota-based legal publishing firm.

    Cafesjian will also gain control of a seat on the museum board, which must now figure out a new game plan amid sharp disagreements.

    The 50,000-square-foot Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum is supposed to commemorate the horrific events of 1915 to 1923 when, by some accounts, more than 1 million Armenians died at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

    Cafesjian and his foundation had helped buy the former National Bank of Washington site and nearby properties for museum purposes.

    “While the court hopes that the properties can be used for (the museum), the court recognizes that the (foundation) is not legally obligated to use the properties to build a museum,” Kollar-Kotelly noted.

    Kollar-Kotelly quietly issued her opinion Tuesday night, addressing the complexity of a case that began nearly four years ago and required a 12-day trial and more than 450 exhibits to resolve.

    In sometimes pointed terms, Kollar-Kotelly questioned the veracity of some Armenian Assembly trial witnesses, including some, she said, whose “lack of memory seems to be driven more by convenience than cognition.” DeMarco stressed Thursday that the voluminous decision is still being reviewed.

    “The decision requires a great deal of thought and analysis,” DeMarco said, adding that “everybody wants the museum to be built.”

    The proposed museum got its start in the mid-1990s with several large donations and pledges. In 2000, the Armenian Assembly bought the former National Bank of Washington building for $7.25 million. The Cafesjian Family Foundation provided a $2.5 million grant, and additional help with a loan.

    Cafesjian also began buying property near the bank, suggesting he might build an art museum. Instead, he donated these properties as well to the Armenian Assembly.

    “The Armenian American community was euphoric about the acquisition of the bank building,” Kollar-Kotelly noted. “However, the real work in creating an Armenian genocide museum and memorial lay ahead.”

    At one point, a consultant charging $50,000 a month recommended constructing a $215 million museum that expanded to cover many genocides. The idea sank.

    In considerable detail, Kollar-Kotelly spelled out maneuverings and mutual antagonisms that followed. Eventually, the Armenian Assembly accused Cafesjian and his allies of mismanaging museum planning; Cafesjian, in turn, was “surprised by the hostility,” according to Kollar-Kotelly, and a series of wide-ranging suits and countersuits ensued.

    A key issue revolved around a “reversionary clause” that returned property to Cafesjian if the museum wasn’t developed by Dec. 31, 2010. Cafesjian won this point. Notably, the judge also awarded attorneys fees to Cafesjian’s side; these could prove to be considerable.

    “The court sincerely hopes that after years of fighting legal battles, the parties can put aside their differences and accomplish the laudable goal of creating an Armenian genocide museum and memorial,” Kollar-Kotelly stated.

  • “It was a step to open the church”

    “It was a step to open the church”

    What media members think about Turkish-Armenian relations? Aram Abrahamyan, Chief of Aravot Daily in Armenia, shares his ideas about this issue. He points out the important points about this sensitive subject.

    (more…)

  • London Conference: Prejudice, Deception, and the Armenian Question

    London Conference: Prejudice, Deception, and the Armenian Question

    Dear Sir / Madam,

    You are kindly invited to attend our annual conference on the 4th February 2011 on the subject of “Turkish- Armenian Relations”, details of which are attached.

    The guest speaker, Prof Justin McCarthy specializes in the social and demographic history of the Modern Middle East, particularly Turkey and the Ottoman Empire. He is presently Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences and Distinguished University Scholar at the University of Louisville.The event will be chaired by Professor Şevket Pamuk who is the Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at the European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science. He is a leading economic historian of the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East and modern Turkey.

    This is the fifth conference in the series and has been organised in the memory of 34 Turkish diplomats and other innocent victims who were murdered by various Armenian terrorist groups between 1973 and 1985. The aim of these conferences is to promote mutual understanding and discuss issues concerning Turkish-Armenian relations both recent and historic on an academic platform.

    We very much hope that you will be able to attend the conference.

    Yours sincerely,

    FTA UK

    ——————————————————————————————————————

    You are kindly invited to attend an evening conference entitled

    ‘TURKISH – ARMENIAN RELATIONS’

    Friday, 4th  February 2011, 6 pm for 6.30 pm

    Venue:

    Sheikh Zayed Theatre,

    London School of Economics,

    New Academic Building,

    Lincoln’s Inn Fields,

    London WC2A 2AE

    GUEST SPEAKER

    Prof Justin McCarthy

    “Prejudice, Deception, and the Armenian Question”

    For those who study the troubled history of relations between Turks and Armenians, the question naturally arises, “How could so many have been so wrong?” Why did Europeans and Americans at the time, and still today, believe a story of persecution that is demonstrably wrong? The answer lies in ignorance, prejudice, and deception. Ignorance made politicians and editors, then and today, believe whatever fit their prejudices. And prejudice caused them to ignore the facts before them. Instead, they accepted the often deliberate falsehoods spread by Armenian rebels and their supporters. This presentation offers examples of the deceptions that lie behind what is commonly believed of the Armenian Question.

    CHAIRED BY

    Prof Şevket Pamuk


    * * * * *

    Organised by

    THE FEDERATION OF TURKISH ASSOCIATIONS UK

    The Federation of Turkish Associations UK (FTA UK) is an umbrella organization consisting of 16 Turkish associations, representing approximately 300,000 British Turks and Turkish citizens in the UK. We are following closely any developments and issues concerning our community in this country and we make representations at governmental and/or local levels. We also serve as a broad platform reinforcing and building on the cultural and economic bridges between Turkey and the UK.

    www.turkishfederationuk.com

    * * * * *

    Non – Members Welcome

    Attendance is free but by registration only

    Please register at

    [email protected]. uk

    or telephone / text  07788 908 803

    * * * * *

    Prof Justin McCarthy

    Justin McCarthy

    Justin McCarthy received a Ph.D. in Near Eastern history from U.C.L.A. in 1978 and a Certificate in Demography from PrincetonUniversity in 1980. He is presently Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences and Distinguished University Scholar at the University of Louisville. Professor McCarthy specializes in the social and demographic history of the Modern Middle East, particularly Turkey and the Ottoman Empire. His books include Muslims and Minorities, Death and Exile, The Population of Palestine, TheOttoman Turks, The Ottoman Peoples and the End of Empire,Population History of the Middle East and the Balkans,Who Are the Turks?(with Carolyn McCarthy), The Armenian Rebellion at Van(with Esat Arslan, Cemalettin Taşkiran, and Ömer Turan), and Turkey and the Turks (with Carolyn McCarthy).His book on the image of Turks in America, The Turk in America, was published in 2010. He has also written a number of articles on Middle Eastern, Balkan, Turkish, and Ottoman topics. As a historical cartographer, he has produced the Middle Eastern map series for the Middle East Studies Association and the U.S. Department of Education, as well as maps for publications.He has lectured in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Britain, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Israel, Bosnia, and Saudi Arabia, as well as in the United States and Canada. In 2005 he was invited to address a special session of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Rotary International gave him its Paul Harris Award. He has held a Senior Research Fellowship from the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities, a National Needs Postdoctoral Fellowship from the National Science Foundation, a Fulbright-Hays fellowship, anInternational Research and Studies Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education, and other grants and awards. Professor McCarthy has served on the Boards of the Institute of Turkish Studies, the Turkish Studies Association, and the International Congress for Asian and North African Studies, as well as the advisory boards of various organizations.

    Prof Sevket Pamuk

    sevket pamuk

    Professor Şevket Pamuk is Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at the European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science. He is a leading economic historian of the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East and modern Turkey. He is the author of The Ottoman Empire and European Capitalism 1820-1913: Trade, Investment and Production (Cambridge University Press, 1987); A Monetary History of the Ottoman Empire (Cambridge University Press, 2000) and jointly with Roger Owen, A History of the Middle East Economies in the Twentieth Century (I.B. Tauris Publishers and Harvard University Press 1998). A collection of his articles on the Ottoman economy recently appeared asOttoman Economy and Its Institutions (Ashgate-Variorum, 2008).  After attending high school in Istanbul, Pamuk graduated from Yale University and obtained his PhD. degree in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley. He has since taught at various universities in Turkey and the United States including Ankara, Pennsylvania, Villanova, Princeton, Michigan at Ann Arbor, Northwestern and beginning in 1994 at Bogaziçi (Bosphorus) University, Istanbul as Professor of Economics and Economic History. Şevket Pamuk was the President of the European Historical Economics Society, an association of European economic historians, has been a member of the Executive Committee of the International Economic History Association, a member of the Standing Committee on the Humanities of the European Science Foundation and is a member of the Academy of Sciences of Turkey. He serves on the Editorial Boards of various academic journals including European Review of Economic History and The Journal of Economic History.

    Supported By Turkish Forum World Turkish Alliance UK

  • Conference: “Prejudice, Deception, and the Armenian Question” by Prof Justin McCarthy

    Conference: “Prejudice, Deception, and the Armenian Question” by Prof Justin McCarthy

    Dear Sir / Madam,


    You are kindly invited to attend our annual conference on the 4th February 2011 on the subject of “Turkish- Armenian Relations”, details of which are attached.


    The guest speaker, Prof Justin McCarthy specializes in the social and demographic history of the Modern Middle East, particularly Turkey and the Ottoman Empire. He is presently Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences and Distinguished University Scholar at the University of Louisville. The event will be chaired by Professor Şevket Pamuk who is the Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at the European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science. He is a leading economic historian of the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East and modern Turkey.

    This is the fifth conference in the series and has been organised in the memory of 34 Turkish diplomats and other innocent victims who were murdered by various Armenian terrorist groups between 1973 and 1985. The aim of these conferences is to promote mutual understanding and discuss issues concerning Turkish-Armenian relations both recent and historic on an academic platform.

    We very much hope that you will be able to attend the conference and circulate this e-mail content kindly to your friends.

    FTA UK

    * * * * *

    You are kindly invited to attend an evening conference entitled

    ‘TURKISH – ARMENIAN RELATIONS’

    Friday, 4th  February 2011, 6 pm for 6.30 pm

    Venue:

    Sheikh Zayed Theatre,

    London School of Economics,

    New Academic Building,

    Lincoln’s Inn Fields,

    London WC2A 2AE


    GUEST SPEAKER


    Prof Justin McCarthy

    “Prejudice, Deception, and the Armenian Question”


    For those who study the troubled history of relations between Turks and Armenians, the question naturally arises, “How could so many have been so wrong?” Why did Europeans and Americans at the time, and still today, believe a story of persecution that is demonstrably wrong? The answer lies in ignorance, prejudice, and deception. Ignorance made politicians and editors, then and today, believe whatever fit their prejudices. And prejudice caused them to ignore the facts before them. Instead, they accepted the often deliberate falsehoods spread by Armenian rebels and their supporters. This presentation offers examples of the deceptions that lie behind what is commonly believed of the Armenian Question.

    CHAIRED BY

    Prof Sevket Pamuk


    *****


    Non – Members Welcome

    Attendance is free but by registration only.


    Please register at

    [email protected]. uk

    or telephone / text 07788 908 803


    Organised by

    THE FEDERATION OF TURKISH ASSOCIATIONS UK

    The Federation of Turkish Associations UK (FTA UK) is an umbrella organization consisting of 16 Turkish associations, representing approximately 300,000 British Turks and Turkish citizens in the UK. We are following closely any developments and issues concerning our community in this country and we make representations at governmental and/or local levels. We also serve as a broad platform reinforcing and building on the cultural and economic bridges between Turkey and the UK.


    www.turkishfederationuk.com

    *****


    Prof Justin McCarthy

    justin

    Justin McCarthy received a Ph.D. in Near Eastern history from U.C.L.A. in 1978 and a Certificate in Demography from PrincetonUniversity in 1980. He is presently Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences and Distinguished University Scholar at the University of Louisville. Professor McCarthy specializes in the social and demographic history of the Modern Middle East, particularly Turkey and the Ottoman Empire. His books include Muslims and Minorities, Death and Exile, The Population of Palestine, TheOttoman Turks, The Ottoman Peoples and the End of Empire,Population History of the Middle East and the Balkans,Who Are the Turks?(with Carolyn McCarthy), The Armenian Rebellion at Van (with Esat Arslan, Cemalettin Taşkiran, and Ömer Turan), and Turkey and the Turks (with Carolyn McCarthy).His book on the image of Turks in America, The Turk in America, was published in 2010. He has also written a number of articles on Middle Eastern, Balkan, Turkish, and Ottoman topics. As a historical cartographer, he has produced the Middle Eastern map series for the Middle East Studies Association and the U.S. Department of Education, as well as maps for publications.He has lectured in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Britain, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Israel, Bosnia, and Saudi Arabia, as well as in the United States and Canada. In 2005 he was invited to address a special session of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Rotary International gave him its Paul Harris Award. He has held a Senior Research Fellowship from the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities, a National Needs Postdoctoral Fellowship from the National Science Foundation, a Fulbright-Hays fellowship, an International Research and Studies Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education, and other grants and awards. Professor McCarthy has served on the Boards of the Institute of Turkish Studies, the Turkish Studies Association, and the International Congress for Asian and North African Studies, as well as the advisory boards of various organizations.

    Prof Sevket Pamuk

    Professor Şevket Pamuk is Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at the European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science. He is a leading economic historian of the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East and modern Turkey. He is the author of The Ottoman Empire and European Capitalism 1820-1913: Trade, Investment and Production (Cambridge University Press, 1987); A Monetary History of the Ottoman Empire (Cambridge University Press, 2000) and jointly with Roger Owen, A History of the Middle East Economies in the Twentieth Century (I.B. Tauris Publishers and Harvard University Press 1998). A collection of his articles on the Ottoman economy recently appeared as Ottoman Economy and Its Institutions (Ashgate-Variorum, 2008).  After attending high school in Istanbul, Pamuk graduated from Yale University and obtained his PhD. degree in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley. He has since taught at various universities in Turkey and the United States including Ankara, Pennsylvania, Villanova, Princeton, Michigan at Ann Arbor, Northwestern and beginning in 1994 at Bogaziçi (Bosphorus) University, Istanbul as Professor of Economics and Economic History. Şevket Pamuk was the President of the European Historical Economics Society, an association of European economic historians, has been a member of the Executive Committee of the International Economic History Association, a member of the Standing Committee on the Humanities of the European Science Foundation and is a member of the Academy of Sciences of Turkey. He serves on the Editorial Boards of various academic journals including European Review of Economic History and The Journal of Economic History.

  • Suprime Court Rejects The ATAA & TCA Sponsored Genocide Denial into Public Schools

    Suprime Court Rejects The ATAA & TCA Sponsored Genocide Denial into Public Schools

    DIKKAT

    WE HAVE LOST ONE MAJOR STEP- FALSE  ARMENIAN CLAIMS WILL BE THOUGHT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AMERICAN SUPRIME COURT RULES:

    AMERIKAN YUKSEK MAHKEMESI SOZDE SOYKIRIMIN OKULLARDA OKUNMASINA YESIL ISIK YAKDI:

    TO SUPPORT TURKISH FORUM’S GLOBAL LOBBY ACTIVITIES PLEASE VISIT

    https://www.turkishnews.com/tr/content/bagislar-ve-uye-aidatlari/

    ===============================================================

    ANCA Welcomes Supreme Court Rejection
    Of Massachusetts Genocide Denial Lawsuit

    High Court Declines to Consider Turkish Lobby-Sponsored Bid to Force
    Genocide Denial into Public Schools

    WASHINGTON–A longstanding legal campaign, spearheaded by pro-Turkey
    lobbies, to force the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to include historically
    inaccurate Armenian Genocide denial materials in their education curriculum
    was killed Wednesday by a U.S. Supreme Court decision declining to hear an
    appeal to a lower court ruling dismissing the case, reported the Armenian
    National Committee (ANCA).

    “We welcome the Supreme Court’s decision to decline to hear this deeply
    flawed and dangerous case, and thus uphold the U.S. Court of Appeals First
    Circuit landmark decision rejecting efforts by genocide deniers to abuse the

    Document2 1/21/2011

    American legal system to bring their hateful agenda to our nation’s public
    schools,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “This victory, while
    certainly a serious setback to Turkey’s campaign of denial, will, just as
    surely, not mark the end of the concerted and well-funded efforts by allies of
    Ankara to use our nation’s great freedoms to enforce their own version of
    Article 301, silencing discussion of the Armenian Genocide in America’s
    classrooms.”

    This legal battle started in 2005, when, according to media accounts, the
    Assembly of Turkish American Associations solicited the assistance of two
    local teachers, a student, and his parents to file the Griswold vs. Driscoll
    case against the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in an effort to force the
    state to include Genocide denial materials in its online education curriculum
    guide. In June of 2009, U.S. District Court Judge Mark Wolf dismissed the
    case stating that the plaintiffs are “are not entitled to relief in federal court.”
    The ATAA and fellow plaintiffs appealed the decision, sending the matter for
    review by the First Circuit Court of Appeals. In August, 2010, the First Circuit
    Court affirmed Judge Wolf’s dismissal of the case, with the majority opinion
    prepared by retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
    The First Circuit Court decision can be read in the appendix.

    Throughout the legal process, the ANCA partnered with the Armenian Bar
    Association and groups including the Irish Immigration Society, Jewish
    Alliance for Law and Social Action, NAACP, Genocide Education Project and
    the Zoryan Institute in preparing amicus briefs in support of the
    Massachusetts Commonwealth’s calls to dismiss the case. Attorneys from
    Wilmer, Cutler, Hale and Dorr LLP, filed the briefs and championed the case
    pro-bono. Other groups that submitted their own amicus briefs included the
    International Association of Genocide Scholars and the Armenian Assembly.
    This case is seen as part of a larger strategy by Turkish American groups to
    use the legal system to harass human rights advocates on issues relating to
    the Armenian Genocide. The most recent instance is the lawsuit filed by
    representatives of the Turkish Coalition of America against the University of
    Minnesota for cautioning visitors to their Holocaust Studies website about
    online resources which deny the Armenian Genocide.

    The Middle East Studies Association, this week, sent an open letter to the
    Turkish Coalition urging them to drop the lawsuit, the full text of which can
    be viewed in the appendix

    Document2 1/21/2011

    FOR FULL TEXT AND ATTACHMENTS…LETTERS ..PICTURES .. SEE

    ABD Yüksek Mahkemesi’nden Türk Tezlerine Ret/ Inludes ANCA news/court
    ruling/Amicus brief by Armenians
    Download PDF 8MB

  • Turkish Canadian Youth Congress Attracted Great Interest

    Turkish Canadian Youth Congress Attracted Great Interest


    CANADAkurultay01

    NOTRE ANATOLIE
    TORONTO BUREAU

    Second Annual Turkish Canadian Youth Congress was held in Toronto during the weekend of 16, 17 and 18 January, 2009. The Youth Congress organized by Council of Turkish Canadians attracted huge interest, with the attendance of more than 140 participants. Young Turkish Canadians and their friends came to the congress from all across Canada. There were delegates from Vancouver, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa and Waterloo. A big majority of the youth participated from Toronto.

    The congress which took place at the Delta Chelsea Hotel in downtown Toronto, started on 16 January Friday, at 6pm, with a reception. The guest of honour Turkish Ambassador to Canada, Mr. Rafet Akgunay made the opening speech and welcomed the youth to the conference. Mr. Akgunay emphasized the importance of Multiculturalism in Canada, the theme of the conference: “Successful multiculturalism rests on mutual respect; and mutual respect comes from mutual understanding and dialogue.” Mr. Akgunay continued by saying that through the richness of multiculturalism we would be able to improve our collective wisdom. The ambassador also addressed the youth in Turkish and encouraged them to maintain and improve their mother tongue, a definite asset in this age of globalization, which is being spoken by millions of people beyond the borders of Turkey.

    The conference continued on Saturday and Sunday, the 17th and 18th of January, with many speaker from academic and political domains. Dr. Umut Uzer and a member of Turkish Coalition of America, lawyer Mr. David Saltzman, came from United States to speak to the youth on Turkish Foreign Policy and Turkish History, respectively. Hon. Dan McTeague, Member of Parliament from Pickering-Scarborough East was among the speakers. Mr. McTeague urged the young Canadians to get involved in politics. One of the stars of the conference was Nil Köksal, a reporter with CBC Morning News. Another young and bright Turkish Canadian, Ayda Eke, an M. A. on Human Rights was a huge hit with the young audience. Public relations expert Gail Haarsma made a presentation on how Canadians view Turkey and Turkish people. Other guest speakers included Demir Delen, Prof. Murat Saatcioglu, Prof. Ozay Mehmet, Hon. Gar Knutson, Dilek Kayaalp, Michael A. Dobbin, Dr. Ertugrul Alp and Yaman Uzumeri.

    Throughout the congress, where young people got a chance to meet one another and socialize, the engagement level stayed high and the interaction with the presenters seemed to be the most desired activity. Many delegates, in the evaluation forms, said that they wished for longer Q&A sessions in future conferences. Executive Director of Council of Turkish Canadians, Lale Eskicioglu told Bizim Anadolu that the youth, while being very happy and appreciative of the conference, had not hold back on their constructive criticism in the feedback forms. “Ninety eight percent of them said that they would like to attend future conferences and that they would encourage their friends to do so as well. Seventy three percent said that they would like to participate in organizing future conferences. Then they listed what they want and how they want it. We will listen to them.” said Lale Eskicioglu. “They demand younger presenters and contemporary topics. They want to be a part of the planning as well. This is great news. Next year we will do it together with them. Or rather, they will do it and we will help them.” Lale Eskicioglu concluded by saying that the youth had already started forming a Youth Conference Planning Committee to organize next year’s congress which will take place in Montreal. “We did the first one in Ottawa and the second one in Toronto,” said CTC president Dr. Kevser Taymaz, “It is only natural that the next one should be in Montreal. We hope to take this great event to a different town every year.”

    What did the youth say about the Second Turkish Canadian Youth Congress?
    – I would like to see more young scholars presenting in future conferences.
    – The general atmosphere of the conference was great, perfect location and very good organization.
    – The people I met and the topics that were presented were really valuable. I would like to keep in touch with all these people.
    – The sessions should be more interactive. Youth should be involved in the organization.
    – It was an amazing experience for me. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to learn about this wonderful country.
    – At the end of the first day of the conference, there should be an organization for the participants that include dinner, music and dance.
    – I would like to have more discussions and workshops with people I don’t know.
    – The conference was perfectly organized, however, in order to collaborate more with the other Turkish delegates from different cities, there should be more activities that would bring them together. For example, on Saturday night there could be a dinner at a Turkish restaurant.
    – I appreciate the fact that there were so many speakers with extraordinary backgrounds and in high positions of different organizations.
    – The conference environment was very friendly. Since this is a youth conference there should be more young presenters. Also, I’d like to see more young volunteers.
    – In addition to annual conferences, there should be more frequent, local meetings.


    February 2009

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