April 25, 2012 – Washington, D.C. – The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) is pleased to inform that our friends, the Assembly of Turkish-American Associations (ATAA), the Federation of Turkish American Associations (FTAA), and the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA), the voice of over 500,000 Turkish-Americans and 300,000 Turkic-Americans, sent a letter to President Obama urging him “to consider the interests of the Euro-Atlantic community by demonstrating the United States’ clear support for Macedonia’s membership in the Alliance at the upcoming NATO Summit in Chicago this May.”
“Macedonia has proven itself to be a committed member of the Alliance since entering the Partnership for Peace program in 1995 and submitting its Membership Action Plan (MAP) in 1999…Macedonia has fulfilled all of the MAP requirements for membership. The only obstacle has been the bilateral name dispute with Greece. Bilateral disputes have never held back the progress of NATO before, and this one should be no different. With the recent ruling of the International Court of Justice in regards to Macedonia, it has been shown that international law is on the side of Macedonia,” stated the ATAA, FTAA, and TCA Presidents.
“NATO leads in promoting global security, and has helped create a Europe that is whole, free, and at peace following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism in Europe. This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of NATO’s first enlargement, which encompassed Greece and Turkey. Inclusion in NATO has been of tremendous value for these countries, as well as for global security, and the inclusion of Macedonia into the Alliance is well overdue,” continued the letter.
UMD extends its sincere and heartfelt gratitude to our friends at the ATAA, FTAA, and TCA for their continued strong support of Macedonia. The Turkish- and Turkic-American and Macedonian-American communities, through ATAA, FTAA, TCA and UMD, are working closely together to strengthen U.S. relations with Southeast Europe, and ensure the peace, security, and stability of the entire region.
Click here to read the ATAA, FTAA, and TCA letter to President Obama:
https://umdiaspora.org/images/TurkishJointLtrMacedoniaObamaApr2012.pdf
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