Ambassador's Remarks
Remarks at the Opening of Between Friends – Turkish American Diplomatic Relations 1923-2007 Photo Exhibit
Ambassador Ross Wilson
Turkish American Association
Ankara, January 22, 2008
(As prepared for delivery)
This exhibit arises out of envy. Last year I visited an American embassy in Europe. Walking around, I saw corridors lined with photographs commemorating visits by American leaders, visits by leaders of that country to the United States, and other events in our bilateral history. I was envious, and so I came back to Ankara and told the staff at our embassy that I wanted one of these.
Several of our staff, especially Shannon Farrell, whom a number of you will remember, worked on this. They selected the photographs here today from among hundreds, if not thousands of photographs from our presidential libraries and the U.S. National Archives.
These photos humanize our relationship by showing our leaders as colleagues, allies and friends. They serve as a metaphor for the friendship between our peoples.
Let me draw your attention to several photographs.
One portrays the warm welcome the people of Ankara gave President Eisenhower in December 1959 as his motorcade drove through Ulus.
Another shows Turkish soldiers explaining Turkce to Lyndon Johnson. It calls to mind my own struggles with Turkish, as well as the tens of thousands of Americans who have come to Turkey over the years and relied on their new Turkish friends to help them learn the language. Given the role of the Turkish American Association in teaching Turks English and Americans Turkish, I am especially pleased to see this photograph here.
The photograph of President Kennedy with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Mister Ekrem Alican was taken in September 1963, only two months before Kennedy’s assassination.
There are many photographs of the great Turkish statesman, President Demirel. If you look carefully, you will find our friend Sukru Elekdag as a somewhat younger ambassador to the United States participating in a meeting with President Ford in Helsinki.
A few here are old enough to remember the extended tour of the United States led by President Celal Bayar that included an address to a joint session of Congress in 1954.
Forty-five years later Bill Clinton would address the Turkish Parliament during the longest visit ever to Turkey by a sitting American president. Who can forget the famous photograph that hangs here this evening of President Clinton with the baby after the devastating earthquake in Izmit.
There is a lot of history captured in these photographs. As much as this exhibit is an opportunity to examine the past, it is also an opportunity to reflect upon the future.
What photographs do we want to represent the next 20 to 30 years of this enduring relationship? The photographs our successors may collect and exhibit in another 40 or 80 years will show us as steadfast allies, standing together against common enemies and for peace, prosperity and liberty for our peoples, our region and the world.
Let me thank all of you for coming and also thank the Turkish American Association for hosting this event tonight.