Speeches

Ambassador Eric Edelman Remarks at a Ceremony Honoring the Memory of U.S. Citizen Aron Sobel

U.S. Embassy Ankara, April 28, 2005

Ambassador Edelman: Thank you Michelle for being here. Ladies and Gentlemen, değerli dostlarım: It has been 10 years now since Aron Sobel was killed in a bus crash near Bodrum along with 21 others. As a result of that tragic accident, he was not able to pursue his dream and calling of saving lives as a doctor. But his spirit carries on in the mission that his mother has given herself of saving lives here in Turkey and elsewhere in the world. The tragedy of Aron’s death led this Embassy, under my predecessors -- Mark Grossman and others -- to work closely with Michelle to launch a major and continuing traffic safety campaign in Turkey. She is here with us today. That campaign is now a worldwide campaign.

The Association for Safe International Road Travel was founded by Michelle in response to the loss of Aron. It aims at achieving safer road travel worldwide, and to reach this end it cooperates with a number of NGOs in many countries, and certainly here in Turkey -- with the Rotary clubs, with ISHAD, with Vakıf 2000. There are many of them who are represented here in the audience today, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for the support that they have given and the work that they have done in this regard. Michelle, you have said that your passion for this organization would never burn out because it is motivated by love for your son. And there is no doubt in my mind that Aron would be very proud of you if he was with us right now. So on behalf of the U.S. mission to Turkey, I would like to congratulate you and thank you for your tireless work, which has already saved countless lives here in Turkey and around the world. I can honestly think of no better way to honor Aron’s memory. So thank you for joining us again today, and I would like to turn the podium over to you.