James Slattery: “I guess it is permissible for me to speak from this side, right? Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to report on this…”

“I guess it is permissible for me to speak from this side, right? Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to report on this new project that the association is undertaking. At the beginning of this year, the association established the Congressional Study Group on Turkey. The study group is modeled after our flagship international program, the Congressional Study Group on Germany. The study group on Turkey brings former and current Members of Congress together with their legislative peers, government officials and business representatives in Turkey and serves as a platform for all participants to learn about U.S.-Turkey relationships firsthand. Thanks to funding from the Economic Policy Research Institute, a new think-tank established by the Turkish business association TOBB, the study group has started a Distinguished Visitors Program in Washington. This program involves events for Members of Congress such as roundtable discussions or breakfast-luncheon panels featuring visiting dignitaries from Turkey. The events take place every 6 to 8 weeks on Capitol Hill and focus on critical issues relating to the bilateral relationship between Turkey and the United States. Additional support from the German Marshall Fund of the United States has allowed the study group to initiate the first U.S.-Turkey seminar, which we hope will become a yearly event. The seminar is a week-long conference for U.S.…”