Turkish Forum

Tag: American Indian tribal lands

  • Armenian supporters skeptical of ties between Turkey, Indian tribes

    Armenian supporters skeptical of ties between Turkey, Indian tribes

    Armenian supporters skeptical of ties between Turkey, Indian tribes

    By MICHAEL DOYLE

    McClatchy Newspapers

    The perennial political fighting between Armenian-Americans and Turkey has migrated to Indian country.

    In a diplomatically creative but controversial move, Turkey wants preferential access to start commercial ventures on selected U.S. tribal lands. In theory, tribes would get business and Turkey would gain friends.

    “We’re trying to build bridges with other communities,” G. Lincoln McCurdy, the president of the Turkish Coalition of America, said in an interview. “If this works, it would be good for everybody.”

    But not everybody thinks so. Lawmakers in states with large Armenian-American populations, such as California and New Jersey, think a legislative proposal that’s now before the House of Representatives extends an undeserved favor to a country still associated with a long-ago slaughter.

    “We could not let that pass … without some acknowledgment of the Armenian genocide,” Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., said.

    The bill in question would allow six Indian tribes to lease land to Turkish companies without securing the usual, often time-consuming Bureau of Indian Affairs approvals. The tribes would be selected competitively by the Interior Department, and would develop their own guidelines for leasing land him.

    In this Capitol Hill fight, regional loyalties and ethnic politics could matter more than party lines.

    When the House Natural Resources Committee approved the legislation Nov. 17 on a 27-15 vote, Costa and Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., united in opposition. The Democrat and the Republican represent portions of California’s Central Valley, which is heavily populated by Armenian-Americans.

    On the other side, bill supporter Republican Rep. Don Young is a longtime champion of his home state’s Alaska Natives. The bill’s author, conservative Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., is a member of the Chickasaw. Another supporter, liberal Democratic Rep. Jay Inslee of Washington state, is running for governor in that state, which is home to 103,000 American Indians.

    Like much that happens on Capitol Hill, the bill dubbed the Indian Tribal Trade and Investment Demonstration Project Act of 2011 rides atop multiple motives. It now goes to the full House for a vote.

    “It definitely broadens (Turkey’s) political base,” McCurdy said, “and it increases the opportunity for Turkish companies to establish operations in this country.”

    A broader political base, in turn, could aid Turkey in recurring Capitol Hill conflicts with Armenian-Americans. In raw population, Armenian-Americans widely outnumber Turkish-Americans. Turkey, though, enjoys considerable high-level clout as an important NATO country.

    Nearly every year, these competing forces are on display as lawmakers press for an Armenian genocide resolution that takes note of the massacres that took place during the Ottoman Empire’s dying days. The resolution routinely fails but keeps coming back; this year’s version has 84 House co-sponsors.

    It’s in this context that the Native American investment bill reflects Turkey’s cultivation of tribes.

    Over the past two years, Turkey has sponsored a number of visits by Indian leaders. In November 2010, for instance, it hosted some 20 Native Americans for a week, including representatives of Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene Tribe and Washington state’s Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

    “This is the first foreign country that has shown interest in investing with – cooperation with – a tribe to improve their economic lot,” Young said at the House committee hearing Nov. 17.

    In a similar vein, Turkish universities sponsor scholarships for Native American students, and Turkish officials have met with Indian leaders in Los Angeles and Seattle. Last March, a top Turkish Trade Ministry official became the first foreign representative to speak at an annual Las Vegas conference on Native American economic development.

    “I have no idea why they’re being so nice to Native Americans,” Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said during the House hearing. “I’m sure there’s some bad underlying reason or something that they’re trying to gain.”

    via Armenian supporters skeptical of ties between Turkey, Indian tribes – KansasCity.com.

  • Turkey Seeks to Monopolize Investments In American Indian Tribal Lands

    Turkey Seeks to Monopolize Investments In American Indian Tribal Lands

    HarutSassounian

    Publisher, The California Courier
    In a few weeks, when high-priced Turkish lobbying firms file their mandatory reports with the Justice Department, important revelations will emerge about their behind the scenes role in pushing through Congress a bill which would give Turkish companies a monopoly for investments in American Indian tribal lands.
    These reports would disclose the chain of contacts leading to the approval of Resolution 2362, the “Indian Tribal Trade and Investment Demonstration Project Act of 2011,” by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources by a vote of 27 to 15, on November 17.
    One should not be surprised to learn that this innocent sounding resolution, meant to “facilitate economic development by Indian tribes and encourage investment by Turkish enterprises,” was gliding through Congress helped by the lavish flow of funds — the mother’s milk of politics — to some House members.
    Of course, there is nothing wrong in helping Native Americans to attract foreign investments, except that Congress was being asked to give preferential treatment to a single country — Turkey! Strangely, majority of the Committee members were willing to go along with this unusual and illegal request, ignoring strong warnings from the Congressional Research Service that extending special privileges to only one country would violate provisions of major U.S. trade agreements — Most Favored Nation (MFN), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and World Trade Organization (WTO).
    Moreover, there was no need whatsoever for Congress to approve a pilot program for any one country, when the same Committee was simultaneously considering a more inclusive bill — House Resolution 205 — which would provide to all countries an equal opportunity to trade with and invest in Indian tribal lands. In fact, the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs testified that he had serious reservations about Resolution 2362. That is why he preferred to support Resolution 205 which would “foster the same goals…on a broader scale.” When Cong. John Sarbanes (Dem.-Maryland) tried to introduce an amendment to expand the scope of Resolution 2362 beyond Turkey, it was ruled out of order due to a technicality.
    Before the vote, several Armenian-American and Greek-American organizations submitted to the House Committee letters in opposition to Resolution 2362, pointing out the impropriety and illegality of giving Turkey a monopolistic access to Indian tribal lands. These organizations raised five key objections to Congress extending special privileges to Turkey because that country:
    1) Remains an unrepentant perpetrator of genocide against millions of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians.
    2) Continues to blockade Armenia, occupy Cyprus, confront Israel, attack Kurds, and undermine U.S. regional interests.
    3) Threatens U.S. commercial interests in the Mediterranean region.
    4) Is linked to American Turkish entities suspected of involvement in illegal activities.
    5) Supports Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.
    The possible aim of the proponents of Resolution 2362 is to pass this particular bill before the more inclusive Resolution 205 is approved, in order to give Turkey a head start and undeserved advantage over all other nations. Turkey could then strike exclusive trade deals with Indian tribes for up to 25 years, renewable for two additional terms of 25 years each, for a total of 75 years. This means that by the time companies from other countries have a chance to sign contracts with Indian tribes, Turkish firms would have snatched up the most lucrative deals, leaving the others empty-handed.
    Immediately after the Committee’s adoption of Resolution 2362, Turkish Americans and the Turkish Embassy in Washington rushed to celebrate a premature victory. The Turkish Coalition of America issued a press releaseon November 17, expressing its joy that the Resolution was approved by the Committee, and would soon be adopted by the full House. That same night, the Turkish Embassy hosted a reception in Washington “to mark American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month and celebrate the successful passage of H.R. 2362 out of the House Natural Resources Committee.” Turkey’s illustrious Ambassador Namik Tan was personally tweeting pictures of American Indians in their native costumes as the festivities were taking place at the Embassy.
    The Ambassador should be reminded that a victory celebration is premature because there are no guarantees that this defective bill would ever reach the House floor, let alone the Senate, since it grossly violates a number of U.S. trade agreements. Even if the bill receives Congressional approval, American civic organizations and many countries would file lawsuits to block this discriminatory piece of legislation.