Day two of the 2014 Turkic American Convention commenced with opening remarks from members of the U.S. Congress, in additon to a roundtable discussion with Ambassadors from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and the United States. Congressmen Xavier Becerra (CA), Paul Tonko (NY) and Paul Gosar (AZ) welcomed guests by expressing their gratitude to TAA for organizing the convention to foster great relationships and celebrate the partnerships of the Turkic nations and the United States. The Members of Congress emphasized the critical need to partner and cooperate in fields of energy, trade, and development.
His Excellency Muktar Djumaliev, Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States and Canada, congratulated TAA on the 4th anniversary of the organization and expressed his pleasure in representing Kyrgyzstan at the convention. Ambassador Djumaliev explained the Kyrgyz economic and democratic path since its independence in 1991, and promoted its efforts to build relations and stronger ties among the Turkic nations and the United States.
His Excellency Kairat Umarov, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United States, thanked TAA leadership for bringing everyone together to work on regional issues. Ambassador Umarov emphasized the need to cooperate together on these issues and that a collective effort would ensure future success in regional integration.
Ambassador Richard Hoagland, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, opened his remarks by explaining that though the United States and its foreign policy are in a period of change, this change does not mean that the United States is losing interest in Central Asia. PDAS Hoagland pointed to the extensive cooperation between the United States and the Central Asian republics based on the following pillars: economics, security and the human dimension. The United States is committed to its partnership with the Turkic republics to continue building on the existing strong ties.
Dr. Fevzi Bilgin, Executive Director of the Rethink Institute, outlined the scheduled forums that will discuss the improvement of economic opportunities for partnership with the growing economies of Turkey, Azerbaijan, and the Central Asian republics. Dr. Bilgin maintained that the discussions had and relationships made during the convention will help to promote stability and enhance cooperation in trade, energy and transportation throughout the Turkic world.
Source: Turkic American Convention
