Events
Former U.S. Ambassador speaks on Turkish issues June 07, 2006 / Istanbul
On June 7, Marc Grossman, the former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, touched on a variety of issues concerning the U.S.-Turkey relationship in a dinner hosted by GMF's Ankara office.
Grossman, who was Ambassador to Turkey from 1997 until 1999, and who recently joined GMF's Board of Trustees, delivered a speech accentuating his new role at GMF and his willingness to work with the Ankara office on Turkey-related issues. In his speech, Grossman focused on the political climate in the United States and its effects on Turkey. He mentioned major global trends in U.S. policy, such as the war on terror, democracy promotion, globalization, immigration, and environmental issues. He felt that American-Turkish relations are deeply affected by these four trends and pointed out continuing U.S. support for Turkish accession to the EU and to Turkey’s commitment to democracy.
Grossman said he wants to see U.S.-Turkey relations take on more unofficial channels, including business, tourism, cultural exchange, and people-to-people relations, which he said would make the bond stronger.
With the upcoming elections in the United States, Grossman noted the U.S. commitment to democracy promotion, even after the Bush administration leaves. There were also questions on Iraq, in which he supported Saddam Hussein's removal but not the sequence of events that followed.
The dinner was attended by 25 guests, among them members of the Turkish Parliament, think tank representatives, academics, and journalists.



