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Turkey lobby in the United States

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The Turkey lobby in the United States is a lobby that works on behalf of the Turkish government in promoting that nation's interests with the United States government.

Influence

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In 2009 the Turkish lobby spent almost $1.7 million lobbying American officials on issues important to the Turkish government.[1] Lobbyists working on behalf of and paid by the government of Turkey include former Congressman Dick Gephardt and former Congressman Bob Livingston.[1]

According to ProPublica, in 2007-8 paid, professional lobbyists acting on behalf of the government of Turkey had more contacts with members of congress than lobbyists acting for any other foreign government.[2]

According to ProPublica, Turkey is one of "The Top Players in Foreign Agent Lobbying," spending $3,524,632 lobbying the American government in 2007 and 2008 alone.[3]

According to the Sunlight Foundation, the government of Turkey "has consistently lavished millions each year on well-connected Washington lobbying firms."[4]

Efforts against Armenian genocide recognition

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Main article: Armenian genocide denial

The Turkish lobby worked "intensely" to prevent the passage of HR 106, the United States resolution on Armenian genocide.[5][6] The New York Times writes that, "former Representative Robert Livingston (Bob Livingston) has been the main lobbyist for Turkey in blocking congressional efforts to pass an Armenian genocide resolution."[6] In 2010 The Washington Post wrote that the Armenian genocide resolution "prompted an aggressive push by the government of Turkey and its lobbying firm led by former House majority leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), who had urged recognition of the Armenian genocide when he was in Congress. Public-relations firm Fleishman-Hillard also has a contract with Turkey worth more than $100,000 a month, records show.[7] A "contingent of members of the Turkish parliament visited Washington" to lobby on behalf of the Turkish view.[7]

According to The Washington Post, "The Turkish government has spent millions on Washington lobbying over the past decade, much of it focused on the Armenian genocide issue. The country's current lobbyist, the Gephardt Group, collects about $70,000 a month for lobbying services from the government in Ankara, according to federal disclosure records. Another group, the Turkish Coalition of America, has targeted the districts of committee members who are considered potential swing votes, including submitting op-eds to local newspapers from the group's president."[7]

The Turkish lobby's efforts were finally overcome by motions by both the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States in 2019 to affirm the Armenian genocide as a matter of US policy.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Arab Unrest Puts Their Lobbyists in Uneasy Spot". The New York Times. March 1, 2011.
  2. ^ Anupama Narayanswamy and Luke Rosiak, Adding it up: The Top Players in Foreign Agent Lobbying, ProPublica, August 18, 2009.
  3. ^ "Adding it up: The Top Players in Foreign Agent Lobbying". ProPublica. August 18, 2009.
  4. ^ http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com/2009/defense-contractors-join-turkish-lobbying-effort-in-pursuit-of-/ Defense contractors join Turkish lobbying effort in pursuit of arms deals, Dec. 17, 2009, Sunlight Foundation.
  5. ^ Turkey Recalls Ambassador to U.S. Over Armenian Genocide Bill Archived 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press, October 11, 2007.
  6. ^ a b "Ex-congressmen lobby hard on Turkey's behalf". Marilyn W. Thompson, The New York Times, October 17, 2007
  7. ^ a b c "Armenia-Turkey dispute over genocide label sets off lobbying frenzy". The Washington Post. March 3, 2010.
  8. ^ "Text - S.Res.150 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that it is the policy of the United States to commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance". 12 December 2019.

Further reading

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