AHI Responds To Flawed Proclamation On Turkey Issued In State Of Massachusetts

The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) on November 7, 2001 submitted a letter to Governor Jane Swift of Massachusetts responding to a flawed proclamation, issued on October 29, 2001 regarding "Turkish Republic Day in Massachusetts."

In the letter, AHI Executive Director Nick Larigakis notifies Governor Swift that this proclamation regarding Turkey is "seriously flawed and contains false and misleading statements regarding the contributions made by Turkey to the U.S."

In recent weeks, the Governors of Alabama and Connecticut, and the Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut have issued and withdrawn similar proclamations, albeit of a more flawed nature, regarding events associated with Turkish independence day.

Attached is AHI's letter to the Governor of Massachusetts (click here) with Exhibit 1 (click here), which refutes three of the four inaccurate WHEREAS clauses in the proclamation.

For additional information, please contact Chrysoula Economopoulos at (202) 785-8430 or chrysoula@ahiworld.org, and visit our Web site at http://www.ahiworld.org.