Memed, My Hawk is the defining achievement of one of Turkey’s best known contemporary writers, Yashar Kemal. In this deceptively simple tale of a rebellious boy in the Taurus mountains of Southern Turkey in the 1930's, Kemal dramatizes the struggle of the villagers against the tyranny of local landowners.

Dr. Fatih Birol is the Chief Economist and Head of the Economic Analysis Division of the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA). He is the organizer and director of the World Energy Outlook series, the IEA’s flagship publication, widely recognized as the most authoritative source for forward-looking energy market analysis. The World Energy Outlook 2007, released on November 7, focuses on China and India, the world’s fastest growing energy markets. In addition, Dr. Birol will answer questions about Turkey’s geo-strategic role in the global energy markets.

A Turkish citizen, Dr. Fatih Birol was born in Ankara in 1958. He earned a BSc degree in power engineering from the Technical University of Istanbul. He received his MSc and PhD in energy economics from the Technical University of Vienna. He worked for six years in the Secretariat of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna, before joining the IEA in 1995. He is a regular contributor of articles on international energy analysis and policy and delivers numerous speeches around the world each year. In June 2005, Dr. Birol received the International Association of Energy Economics' Outstanding Contributions to the Profession Award.

PLEASE NOTE LOCATION CHANGE. SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR BOARD MEMBER LAURENCE PETTIT AND CORPORATE MEMBER BAKER & MCKENZIE LLP FOR HOSTING THIS EVENT.

Written in 1938 and translated into English for the first time, this enchanting, exotic and suspenseful novel of prewar Istanbul and fast-paced, decadent postwar Berlin will stand beside the author’s acclaimed and much-loved Ali and Nino as a classic of thwarted love, exile, and desire. The story of the author, which was chronicled in the biography Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life, is nearly as exotic as the book itself.

Mother Child Education Foundation’s (ACEV) mission is to make a lasting contribution to society and to improve the quality of individual's lives through education. In its two main areas of expertise, early childhood and adult education, ACEV develops and implements various training programs and projects both within Turkey and abroad.

Endeavor’s mission is to transform the economies of emerging markets by identifying and supporting high-impact entrepreneurs. Endeavor operates in Latin America, South Africa, and as of September 2006, in Turkey, where it plays a lead role in catalyzing an era of entrepreneurship. Endeavor Turkey was officially launched in December 2006.

This event is free, however, space is limited and pre-registration is required. To RSVP by Friday, November 2, please email info@americanturkishsociety.org or info@tpfund.org or register online.

The American Turkish Society is pleased to present an address by H.E. Mehmet Simsek, Turkey's new State Minister in charge of Treasury, with the participation of Mr. İbrahim H. Çanakçı, Undersecretary, The Undersecretariat of Turkish Treasury and Mr. Durmuş Yılmaz, Governor, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey. The event will offer a timely discussion on Turkey's economy and monetary and fiscal policies, immediately following the IMF meetings in Washington, D.C.

We would like to thank our board member Mr. Brian Henderson, Chairman of Global Public Sector Client Group, for Merrill Lynch's generous sponsorship of this event.

Space is limited. Pre-registration is strictly required. Jacket & Tie required. Press participation is restricted.

Please register online below or download and return the registration form by fax or mail it to The American Turkish Society by Friday, October 19th at 5pm. For questions and press inquiries, please email info@americanturkishsociety.org.

The American Turkish Society is proud to sponsor the 9th Annual New York Turkish Film Festival, October 12 – 21, 2007.

An international bestseller, Bliss is a lyrical and moving tale that juxtaposes the traditional and modern Turkey. Click here for more information.

O.Z. Livaneli, one of Turkey’s most prominent authors, is also an accomplished composer, and previously served as an elected member of the Turkish Parliament.

The discussion will be moderated by Jenny B. White, an associate professor of social anthropology at Boston University. She has published two scholarly books on contemporary Turkey. Her first novel, The Sultan’s Seal, was published in February 2006, and her second novel, The Abyssinian Proof, will be published in March 2008.

Please RSVP by registering online or emailing info@americanturkishsociety.org by Friday, October 12 at noon. Space is limited. For questions, please call 212.583.7614.

H.E. Ali Babacan was appointed Foreign Minister of Turkey on August 29, 2007 in the new cabinet of re-elected Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He was previously State Minister for Economy, and continues to serve as Chief Negotiator of Turkey for European Union Affairs.

Born in Ankara in 1967, H.E. Ali Babacan graduated first in his class with a B.S. degree in industrial engineering from Middle East Technical University, Ankara, in 1989. In 1992, he graduated from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University with an M.B.A. in marketing, organizational behavior and international business also receiving a Fulbright Scholarship for graduate studies. Throughout the following decade, he would work in the private sector, eventually leading his family’s textile business, while also serving as Chief Advisor to the mayor of Ankara. In 2001, H.E. Babacan became a Founding Member and Board Member of the Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Space is limited. Pre-registration is strictly required. Jacket & Tie required. This event is closed to the press.

To RSVP, please download the registration form below and fax to 212-583-7615 or click on the link below for online registration by Thursday, September 27 at 5pm. For questions, call: 212-583-7614

The American Turkish Society is proud to support Mental Minefields: The Dark Tales of Zeki Demirkubuz, September 19-24. The retrospective is presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, ArteEast and the Moon and Stars Project, in collaboration with Altyazi.

With seven films in thirteen years, Zeki Demirkubuz is already a major auteur in Turkish cinema. Tackling universal questions of morality and faith by situating them in the quotidian conflicts of modern-day Turkey, Demirkubuz works on these eternal themes as he tracks his characters’ intricate relationships of love and loss. He is renowned for his keen efforts to capture stories and characters predominantly rooted in Istanbul, and yet transcending a specific national framework. His cinema offers a rare vantage point from which to survey both the traditions of popular film genres, like melodrama, and the modes of filmmaking in Turkey, as with the transition from a producer-based cinema to independent production.

This retrospective contains all seven of Zeki Demirkubuz’s feature films, including the trilogy that for many constitutes the core of his achievement: the “Tales of Darkness” trilogy, composed of Yazgi (Fate, 2001), Itiraf (Confession, 2001) and Bekleme Odasi (The Waiting Room, 2003), each a completely separate film but also part of an overall portrait Demirkubuz offers of the concept of morality in the contemporary world.

Schedule and Tickets

09/19, 6:30 pm Itiraf/Confession

09/19, 9:00 pm C Blok/Block-C

09/21, 6:15 pm Kader/Destiny

09/21, 8:45 pm Yazgi/Fate

09/22, 1:00 pm C Blok/Block-C

09/22, 3:00 pm Panel Discussion (Free w/Any Ticket to the Series)

09/22, 4:45 pm Masumiyet/Innocence

09/22, 7:00 pm Itiraf/Confession

09/22, 9:15 pm Bekleme Odasi/The Waiting Room

09/23, 1:00 pm Ucuncu Sayfa/The Third Page

09/23, 3:00 pm Yazgi/Fate

09/23, 6:00 pm Bekleme Odasi/The Waiting Room

09/23, 8:15 pm Kader/Destiny

09/24, 6:00 pm Ucuncu Sayfa/The Third Page

09/24, 8:00 pm Masumiyet/Innocence

The Association of the Bar of the City of New York (ABCNY), The American Turkish Society, and Turkish-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TACCI), together with the Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey in New York, cordially invite you to "Turkey’s Role in Europe."

This event is free and open to the public.

Topics and Panel of Experts:

Opening Remarks by The Honorable Mehmet Samsar, Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in New York

– Turkey's EU Accession within the Context of EU Enlargement, Maria Francesca Spatolisano, Economic and Trade Counselor, European Commission Mission to the United Nations

– Turkey at the EU Negotiating Table: The Turkish Perspective on EU Accession , Dr. Bahadir Kaleagasi, Director of TÜSIAD EU-Brussels Office; Lecturer on EU Institutions and External Relations, University of Brussels

– Key Financial, Legal, Banking, and Investment Sector Reforms in Turkey Relevant to Turkey's EU Membership, Lawrence M. Kaye, Esq., Partner, Herrick Feinstein, LLP

– Recent Political and Constitutional Issues in Turkey and Their Impact on Turkey's EU Accession, Nuri M. Colakoglu, Managing Director CNN-Turk and Vice-President, Executive Committee Dogan Media Group, Semih Idiz, Journalist, Columnist for Milliyet and Turkish Daily News

– Turkey's Role as a Regional Great Power: Turkey's Relations with its Border States as Contrasted with the EU's Foreign and Security Policy, Prof. Yakup Atila Eralp, Ph.D., Director of the Center for European Studies, Middle East Technical University

– Turkey Looks West and The West Looks Back: Definitions of Culture and Society and the Impact on Turkish-European Relations, Gerald Knaus, Director, European Stability Initiative, Istanbul, Turkey

–A Mediterranean Union?: The Mediterranean, North Africa and The Middle East, Steven A. Cook, Ph.D., Douglas Dillon Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations

– moderated by Prof. George A. Bermann, Director, European Legal Studies, Columbia University School of Law

As a part of The American Turkish Society’s Education Programs, which aim to facilitate educational exchange between the U.S. and Turkey, Scott Berrie, Co-founder and President of Scojo Foundation , will share the foundation's mission as well as his thoughts on leadership and social entrepreneurship with Turkish university students participating in the Young Guru Academy.

Young Guru Academy (YGA) is a non-profit organization based in Istanbul and North Carolina that offers leadership training to youth in Turkey. As a part of YGA, 10-15 Turkish and Turkish-American university students attend an annual leadership camp in the U.S., and work on a development project in Turkey. This year's program focuses on social, economic, and educational empowerment for visually impaired youth.

Scojo Foundation is a unique social venture that provides access to eyeglasses at the base of the economic pyramid in developing countries. Established by the partners of Scojo Vision, LLC, which donates 5% of its profits to the foundation, Scojo Foundation trains local entrepreneurs to give basic eye exams and sell low-cost reading glasses in their communities. By providing people with the tools to see, Scojo Foundation improves their health and doubles their working life. At the same time, it helps raise the standard of living for local entrepreneurs and their families.

This event is free and open to anyone who would like to find out more about either organization and learn about social entrepreneurship.

The American Turkish Society hosted its second annual gala dinner to celebrate the recent partnership of Citi and Sabanci Holding in Akbank, the most profitable banking institution in Turkey, at The Waldorf=Astoria in New York on May 7. The gala honored Charles Prince, Chairman and CEO of Citi, and Guler Sabanci, Chairperson and Managing Director of Sabanci Holding.

The gala was attended by leading executives from the American and Turkish business communities, as well as political and diplomatic dignitaries and select guests from academia and the arts. Prominent guests included former Senator Phil Gramm, Vice Chairman of UBS Investment Bank and Dinner Committee Chairman; Akbank board member Suzan Sabanci Dincer; Akbank General Manager Zafer Kurtul; Turkey's Permanent Representative to the U.N. H.E. Ambassador Baki Ilkin; Turkish Consul General in New York The Honorable Mehmet Samsar; and former World Bank president James Wolfensohn, among others.

The evening also included a memorial tribute to the late Ahmet Ertegun (1923-2006), founding chairman of Atlantic Records and chairman of the Society. A brief film honoring Mr. Ertegun was presented by Lawrence Kaye, The Society's Events Commitee Chairman, and Lyor Cohen, CEO of Warner Music Group's US Recorded Music. Mrs. Mica Ertegun, Honorary Chairwoman of the gala, was also present.

The American Turkish Society's annual gala dinners celebrate successful U.S. – Turkish corporate partnerships and the proceeds benefit the Society's programs and activities that aim to foster greater political, economic, and cultural ties between the two countries.

This year's gala raised over $500,000, thanks to the generous support of Citi, Sabanci and Akbank and other Platinum Benefactors UBS, Altria, American International Group (AIG), The Coca-Cola Company, Delta, International Paper, and Mrs. Mica Ertegun. Other companies and individuals who bought tables at the event included The Fairchild Corporation, Herrick, Feinstein LLP, Mr. and Mrs. Murat Koprulu, News Corporation, Archery Capital LLC, Baker & McKenzie LLP, DuPont, Joukowsky Family Foundation/Multilateral Funding International, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Kaye, Kiraca, Mr. Metin Negrin/Lexin Capital LLC, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Paramount Bio Capital, Inc., and Dr. and Mrs. Tamer Seckin.

The American Turkish Society will hold a meeting on Turkey's monetary and fiscal policy with Mr. Durmuş Yılmaz, Governor, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey and Mr. İbrahim H. Çanakçı, Undersecretary, The Undersecretariat of Turkish Treasury.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR HERRICK, FEINSTEIN LLP.

PLEASE NOTE LOCATION CHANGE. DUE TO THE HIGH INTEREST IN THE EVENT, IT HAS BEEN MOVED TO A LARGER VENUE AT HERRICK, FEINSTEIN LLP, 2 PARK AVENUE, 21ST FLOOR. REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST.

Born in Uşak in 1947, Mr. Durmuş Yılmaz obtained his BA in Economics from the City University of London and his MA degree from the University College, University of London. Mr. Yılmaz started to work in the Foreign Exchange Department at the Central Bank of Turkey in 1980. He worked in the areas of Foreign Debt Rescheduling, Exchange Rates and Foreign Exchange Reserve Management. He became Deputy Director of Foreign Exchange Transactions Division in 1993, Director of Interbank Money Market Division in 1995, and Director of Balance of Payments Division in 1996. Mr. Yılmaz was promoted to Deputy Executive Director at Markets Department in 1996 to supervise Foreign Exchange Risk Management, Credits, Foreign Exchange and Foreign Banknotes Markets and Open Market Operations. He was appointed Executive Director of the Workers’ Remittances (Non-Residents FX Deposits) Department in 2002. Mr. Yılmaz was elected Member of the Board in the Shareholders Ordinary General Meeting held on 7th April 2003. Having served as Board Member between May 2003 and April 2006, Mr. Durmuş Yılmaz was appointed Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey on 18th April 2006.

Mr. İbrahim H. Çanakcı was born in 1962 in Elazığ. After he graduated from Elazığ High School, he completed his studies in Economics at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Ankara University. He started his professional life in 1986 as an associate expert at the State Planning Organization ("SPO"). In 1992 he received the expert title. In this period, he has worked in analysis of macroeconomic developments, forecasting, and the establishment of macro balances of annual and 5-year development plans. Throughout the 1989-1991 period, he studied at the Michigan State University, US and earned the masters degree in Economics. Upon his return to the SPO, he worked as the Head of Conjuncture Department between May 1994 - December 2000. He pursued his career in the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency ("BRSA") after December 2000. Following his tenure as the Department Head of Economic Evaluations for about two years, he became the Vice Chairman to the Banking Regulation and Supervision Board on December 11, 2002. On May 5, 2003 he was appointed as the Undersecretary of Treasury. He has several studies on macroeconomic analysis, forecasting and conjuncture evaluation and is fluent in English. Mr. Çanakcı is married with two children.

Turkish State Minister H.E. Ali Babacan, Nick Rohatyn, CEO & CIO of Rohatyn Group, and several other distinguished speakers addressed nearly 200 American investors and senior business executives from Turkey at the confence "Turkey: The New Destination for Direct Investment and Private Equity." Co-hosted by The American Turkish Society (Amerikan Türk Cemiyeti) and Turkish-US Business Council (Türk Amerikan İş Konseyi—TAİK/DEIK), the conference discussed growing foreign interest in direct, private equity and real estate investments in Turkey. It was sponsored by leading American companies with operations in Turkey, Merrill Lynch & Co., Baker & McKenzie LLP, and American International Group, Inc. (AIG).

Other distinguished speakers included Alpaslan Korkmaz (President of the Turkish Investment Support and Promotion Agency), Sani Şener (TAV), Dennis van den Broek (Baker & McKenzie), Osman Kökmen (Merrill Lynch), Seymur Tari (Turkven), Hilmi Güvenal (Reform Kurumsal), Ron Drake (Bedminster Capital), Mustafa Erhan Say (AccessTurkey Capital Group), Laurence Pettit (Baker & McKenzie), Oktay Varlier (Turkish Tourism Investors Association), Jacques Morand (Hyatt International Hotels and Resorts), Jonathan Kern (GE Real Estate) and Mehmet Sami (Ata Invest).

The American Turkish Society held a memorial service for Ahmet Ertegun, chairman of the Society and the founding chairman of Atlantic Records, on March 2. The memorial service gave the Turkish-American community and American friends of Turkey a chance to honor Mr. Ertegun's legacy of enhancing relations and understanding between the two countries. Murat Koprulu, President of The Society; Bob Kerrey, President of The New School; H.E. Baki Ilkin, Ambassador of Turkey to the U.N.; The Honorable Engin Ansay, Consul General of Turkey in Los Angeles; Lally Weymouth, senior editor of Newsweek; Dr. Mehmet Oz; Larry Kaye, Chairman of the Society's Events Committee; and Susan Steinberg, director of the soon-to-be-aired PBS American Masters documentary, “Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built” spoke at the service. In addition, a clip from the American Masters film on Mr. Ertegun and a musical interlude of Turkish Classical Music by Harold Hagopian and friends were included in the service.

H.E. Ambassador Ilkin will address The American Turkish Society members and friends on issues of current importance to Turkey and the United Nations, such as Turkey`s candidacy to the Security Council, the Cyprus issue, and peace-keeping efforts, among others. He will be introduced by The Honorable Mehmet Samsar, the new Consul General of Turkey to New York.

Tables of ten may are also available for purchase. Please contact The American Turkish Society at 212.583.7614 to reserve.

Online registration is not available for members of the media. Please contact The American Turkish Society at 212.583.7614 or info@americanturkishsociety.org for further information.

The ATS Book Club discusses Istanbul: Memories and the City by 2006 Nobel Literature Laureate, Orhan Pamuk. The discussion will be moderated by Ms. Esra Akcan, a postdoctoral core lecturer at Columbia University. She recently gave a lecture entitled “Melancholy as Object: Orhan Pamuk’s Istanbul,” at a conference organized by World Literature Today.

This event is now full. To put your name on the waitlist, please contact us at 212.583.7614 or info@americanturkishsociety.org.

For more information, see the Book Club section of this website under Events.