TAAA President, Aynur Vloon, and Director, Orrin Ford attended the Annual Delegates meeting of ATAA in Washington, D.C. as Delegates from TAAA.

The Delegates meeting is the most important meeting of the Assembly each year at which reports from all the Committees and Officers is reported and the results of the elections of new officers and directors is reported.

The highlight of the meeting this year was the election of TAAA to full membership in ATAA by the unanimous vote of the Delegates. Both Aynur

and Orrin addressed the Assembly of Delegates and stressed the need for solidarity and support in the Turkish American Community for improvement in Turkey/United States relations and increased efforts to educate Americans about Turkey, its history and culture, and Turkish/Americans and their importance to the United States.

The new President of ATAA, Gunay Evinch, in his first address to the Assembly said, “I invite all Turks to work toward simple common goals within our diverse communities, to breathe life into our Turkish heritage of tolerance and into the universal principals for which Ataturk stands.”

We invite you all to join in this work.

In the few days leading up to the meeting, Aynur and Orrin met with Legislative Aides to Alabama Congressmen Artur Davis, Spencer Bachus, Jo Bonner, and Bobby Bright. Included in the conversations were discussions of the formation of TAAA, the importance of the Turkish American community in Alabama, increased trade between Turkey and Alabama and several issues pending in Congress of importance to Turkey and the Turkish American community. They were well received in all the offices and look forward to maintaining close relations between the Alabama Congressional delegation and the Turkish American Community.

Aynur and Orrin also participated in meetings at the Turkish Embassy looking to finalizing the "Spotlight on Turkey 2010-2011".