Greetings

Message from the President
Dear Friends,

As a founding member and the first President, it is my privilege and pleasure to invite and welcome you to the home of FoTiA (Friends of Turkey in Arkansas), a web site to serve as a gateway between the Turks, Turkish-Americans, and friends of Turkey in the State of Arkansas.

In my work over the past fifteen years as an activist, I have come to witness the great need for collaboration in introducing the Turkish Culture and Heritage. Hundreds of organizations and thousands of people have repeatedly wondered and asked ‘how can we work together’? I believe the need for collaboration can be summarized simply in 3 reasons: (1) inefficient sharing of information; (2) competition for the same resources; and (3) duplication of efforts. Addressing this need became the focus of my motivation in being instrumental in the establishment of the Friends of Turkey in Arkansas (FoTiA). It is my ultimate goal and dream to devise an integrative strategy to connect not only with the society we live in but also those in outside. Therefore, the purpose and the objective of the organization are to contribute to the development of a long lasting friendship with the other ethnic groups, introduce the Turkish Culture while promoting the civic duties. Therefore, we consider this society as an effective communication media. Our agenda today and tomorrow is focused on the interpersonal and intercultural relations and strengthening our ability to work together. We, as a whole must be conscious about our identity. If the image is not right, it is our fault. Therefore, we must take the right stand at the right time to serve our community as long as the blood flow continues in our veins.

Please do not forget “Dayanisma ve pekisme Turkluk’un ogesi, Turk’un toresidir”. I salute you in this important mission.

Coskun Bayrak, Ph.D.
President