June 11 - June 17, 2019
THO TEAM
THO is excited for our growing team and a new class of interns for Summer 2019. Read about them here.
Upcoming Events
THO Non-Resident Fellowship Turkey Trip
The Turkish Heritage Organization is excited to bring our Non-Resident Fellowship program to Turkey in a few weeks, as our fellows learn more about U.S.-Turkey relations and dynamics while meeting with various NGO's, businesses and organizations while in Ankara and Istanbul.
Save the Date:
An Analysis of Turkey's National Security and the U.S.-Turkey Relationship on July 15 on the Third Anniversary of the Coup Attempt
Recent Events
On June 12, 2019, Turkish Heritage Organization (THO) hosted a successful private roundtable discussion with Turkish Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul on Turkey’s Judicial Reform. 
 
The invitation-only discussion included former diplomats and leaders from various think-tanks, NGO's, law associations, and U.S. government. The conversation was a constructive and candid dialogue discussing judicial reforms in Turkey and U.S.-Turkey relations.

On June 13, 2019 THO hosted a teleconference discussing the current situation in Idlib, Syria. To hear from our experts and the full recording of the teleconference please visit our website at the link below.
THO OUTREACH
The THO team attended the celebration of the Republic Day of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan Armed Forces Day hosted by the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
THO Outreach continued as the team had productive meetings with State Department Officials; the International Republican Institute; Eurasia Group ; Alternate Executive Director of IMF ; World Bank ; and TCA .
THO Executive Director Elvir Klempic also connected with the Co-Chairman of the US-Europe Alliance, Reuf Bajrovic.
Media
Media Outreach Continued as THO President Ali Cinar was interviewed on CNNTurk and THO Executive Director Elvir Klempic was interviewed on Abu Dhabi TV.
NEWS
U.S.-TURKEY OFFICIALS UPCOMING MEETINGS
  • U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Turkish Defense Minister Hulisi Akar will Meet in Brussel; June 26- June 27, 2019

  • U.S. President Trump and President Erdogan will meet during the G20 Summit in Japan; June 28-June 29, 2019
SECURITY
The Department of State’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism Visits Turkey
Ambassador Nathan A. Sales visited Turkey on June 13 where he met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Justice, and the Senior Presidential Advisor to discuss important issues within Turkey.

Two F-35 Partners Threatened to Quit the Program. Here’s Why They Didn’t.
Two foreign countries have threatened that the issue of a potential breach in sovereign data is not addressed, they will either pull out of the F-35 program or refuse to send data to the U.S.

Pentagon: No Joint U.S.-Turkish Study Group on F-35, S-400 Missile System
Department of Defense Officials confirmed over the weekend that there has been no formation of a joint U.S.-Turkish study group to examine the compatibility of American F-35 fighter jets with the Russian-made S-400 missile system.

ENERGY
Turkey Looks to Raise Share of Renewables to Two-Thirds by 2023
Turkey is looking to raise the share of domestic, renewable sources up to two-thirds of the country's electricity production according to Energy and Resources Minister Fatih Donmez.

ECONOMY
Microsoft MEA Technology Center Opens in Istanbul, Expected to Create $430M Economic Value
Microsoft’s new technology center in Istanbul will allow Turkish startups to export their solutions and is expected to generate an economic value of TL 2.5 billion.

Moody's Downgrades Turkey Rating to B1, Turkey Slams Moody in Response

Moody’s cut Turkey’s sovereign credit rating deeper stating the risk of a balance of payments crisis continued to rise.

Update to the Turkish Airlines New Business Class Lounge
Turkish Airlines has renovated the business class lounge in the latest updates in the new Istanbul airport.

TECHNOLOGY
Turkcell's Supply Chain Management Transformation Is Driven By Technology and Communication
Ali Türk, Executive Vice President of Supply Chain Management at Turkcell, discusses how Turkey’s largest mobile operator is driving efficiency with customers at the forefront.

WHAT WE ARE READING
THIS WEEK'S FEATURED EVENTS AND INDIVIDUALS
THIS WEEK ON TWITTER
Profile of the Week
This week's installment of the Profile of the Week features former THO speaker and current President and CEO of National Defense University.

TURKISH-AMERICAN SUCCESS STORIES
Janet Akyüz Mattei

Janet Akyuz Mattei was born in  Bodrum ,  Turkey. She worked at  Leander McCormick Observatory  in  Charlottesville, Virginia  from 1970 to 1972 and received her  M.A.  in Astronomy from the  University of Virginia  in 1972 and her  Ph.D .  in Astronomy from  Ege University  in  Izmir , Turkey, 1982. As head of the AAVSO for over 30 years, she collected observations of  variable stars  by  amateur astronomers  from around the world. She coordinated many important observing programs between amateur observers and professional astronomers. She was also keenly interested in education and student science projects. Under her direction, the database of the association was made available to educators and also assisted non-professional astronomers access the  Hubble Space Telescope .

QUOTE OF THE WEEK