Emcee of the night, Richard Lui of MSNBC, welcomed Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader, and other honorable guests to the stage to take a family picture.
Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, House Representative from Florida and the Chair of the Democratic National Committee, was the first guest to give a speech at the Pre-Gala reception of the Turkic American Convention. Thanking the organizers of the convention and especially those leaders of the Turkic community in the state of Florida for their campaign support for President Obama during the last Presidential Election, the Congresswoman said that the relationships between Turkic and American communities are strengthening and the Democratic Party is looking forward to further developing ties with the Turkic community.
Congressman Bill Keating from Massachusetts, who was also invited to the stage, highlighted the growing importance of the Turkic countries region, which are primarily former Soviet Republics and Turkey, because of the tremendous energy resources and their ability to diversify the energy supply market in the region.
Representative Keating also thanked the Central Asian countries for their help reducing American forces in Afghanistan. “ It is worth stating the relationship between the United States and the Turkic countries for combined interest in creating a secure world,” added congressman.
Henry Cuellar, Representative from Texas, who recently returned from a trip from Turkey, mentioned the importance of Turkey as a key ally.
Among other speakers at the Pre-Gala reception were Senators Chris Murphy and John Boozman from Connecticut and Arkansas respectively, Representatives Pete Galego, Mike Turner, Matt Cartwright, Mike Honda, David Price, Mike Fitzpatrick, Dan Maffei, Rush Holt, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Steve Stockman.
Mehmet Ali Susam, member of Republican People’s Party and the Energy Committee of Turkish Parliament, was the last speaker of the Pre-Gala reception. He mentioned that the Turkish Parliament is discussing legislation about energy, renewable natural resources, and clean, environmentally friendly energy options. According to him, this Turkic American Convention was a very important opportunity to discuss energy related topics with American and Central Asian counter-parts. He also thanked organizers who dedicated a lot of energy to bring the Energy, Trade and Development Convention to the discussion table.
“I hope that the energy will help us to establish a fair competition and peace, and will not be used a tool for a division,” added Turkish parliamentarian.
