December 11-17, 2018
THO News
THO Ambassador Series with H.E. Elin Suleymanov
On Monday, December 17th, THO hosted its first installment of the Ambassador Series with the Republic of Azerbaijan's Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Elin Suleymanov. This invite-only event allowed policymakers and think tank officials to have an in-depth and open discussion on Turkish-Azerbaijaini and Azerbaijan-US relations.
THO Congressional Outreach Continues
THO staff met with Congressman Pete Sessions and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.
Second Round of THO Non-Resident Fellowship Articles Posted
A new round of articles written by THO's Non-Resident Fellows were published on the blog Meddah. The articles cover topics ranging from Istanbul Summit, a history of US-Turkish relations, the Syrian Civil War and much more. You can follow along with the THO Non-Resident Fellowship Program on our social media and to read the Fellows' articles now, click the button below!
Exclusive Insight Interview: Micheal Pregent
This  April , the Turkish Heritage Organization held an Exclusive Insight interview with  Michael Pregent, Adjunct Fellow, Hudson Institute and former intelligence officer . Pregent discussed the Trump administration's foreign policy strategy in Syria, US-Turkey security cooperation against ISIS and much more.
TOP NEWS IN U.S.-TURKEY RELATIONS
US, Turkish Presidents Talk as Ankara Ratchets Up Syria Tension
The Turkish and U.S. presidents spoke by telephone Friday, as Ankara threatens to attack a key Washington ally in the U.S. effort against Islamic State in Syria. 

The White House said U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the "security concerns" of the two countries in Syria and the fight against terrorism.

Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford Speaks with Chief of Turkish General Staff, General Yasar Guler
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr. spoke with Chief of the Turkish General Staff Gen. Yasar Guler today.

The two leaders discussed items of mutual security interest, to include the U.S. observation posts in the northeast Syria border region, which were established to address Turkish security concerns. Gen. Dunford emphasized that the observation posts will continue to focus on and deter threats from Syria toward the Turkish southern border. In addition, he reiterated that the U.S. remains committed to coordinating efforts with Turkey to bring stability to northeastern Syria.

The U.S. and Turkey enjoy a strong and continuous military-to-military relationship as key members of the NATO alliance.
OTHER U.S.-TURKEY NEWS
Economy
Bridgewater's Former Emerging-Market Head Bets on Biggest Losers
Argentina and Turkey were the poster children of this year’s emerging-market sell-off, but in 2019 they’ll be leading a widespread rally, according to Whitney Baker, the founder of New York-based Totem Macro, which advises funds holding more than $3 trillion in assets.

Security
Turkey in Talks with UN for Khashoggi Investigation
Turkey is in talks with the  United   Nations  regarding the investigation into the killing of prominent Saudi journalist  Jamal   Khashoggi , Turkish Foreign Minister  Mevlüt   Çavuşoğlu said on Dec. 11.

Humanitarian Aid
UN Announces $5.5 Billion Plan to Support Syria Refugees, Host Countries
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) together with some 270 NGO and humanitarian partners have launched the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan worth $5.5 billion, UNHCR said in a statement yesterday.

Technology
Aviation Giant Boeing Opens its First Engineering and Technology Center in Istanbul
Having operated in Turkey for more than 70 years, the U.S. civil and military aircraft manufacturer Boeing yesterday opened its first Engineering and Technology Center in Turkey with a "Boeing Turkey Technology Day."

Education
Azerbaijan, Turkey to Co-op in Higher Education
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in higher education between the Turkish Council of Higher Education and the Azerbaijani Ministry of Education on Dec. 11, Trend reports citing the Turkish newspaper Resmi Gazete.

WHAT WE'RE READING
Would Turkey Benefit if the US Withdraws from Syria? -Gonul Tol & Guney Yildiz, Middle East Institute

Erdogan, Trump, and the Khashoggi Murder -Bulent Aliriza, Center for Strategic and International Studies
THO NON-RESIDENT FELLOWS
QUOTE OF THE WEEK

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