PRESS RELEASE

U.S. CONSULATE OPENS “DOSTLAR ARASINDA” PHOTO EXHIBIT
AT TARIHI KIZ LISESI

July 9, 2008  --  On July 9, 2008, U.S. Consul Eric Green presided over the opening of “Between Friends: Turkish-American Diplomatic Relations: 1923-2007,” a collection of 43 photographs illustrating the deep and continuing friendship between the United States and Turkey.  The exhibit will be displayed at the Adana Tarihi Kız Lisesi throughout the month of July.

Turkey and the United States have a friendship that began well over eighty years ago.  Throughout this time, wars, economic downturns, and social and cultural developments challenged both countries, yet their bilateral partnership endured due to a common commitment to democratic values and individual freedom.

Official photographers chronicled the relationship through the years, from scenes of Marshall Plan tractors rolling across the plains of Anatolia to the image of President Bill Clinton holding a Turkish child following the 1999 earthquake to today’s leaders charting our friendship for the 21st century.

From the end of the Ottoman Empire to the present day, the United States has consistently supported Turkey’s security, integrity, and national development.  After World War II, the United States Government provided economic assistance through the Marshall Plan of more than 225 million US dollars, the equivalent of 1.8 billion dollars today.

At the opening party attended by local media, Consul Green noted the formal U.S.-Turkish relationship has been a part of Adana’s history since the establishment of Incirlik airbase in 1955 and the opening of the U.S. Consulate here in 1961.  The bonds of friendship have united Americans and Turks through education as well.  Tarsus American College has been thriving since its opening in 1888, and in 1882 American missionaries opened the historic building known as the Tepebag School.  The United States is proud to be a partner with Adana in a variety of cultural projects such as this exhibit.