Whereas, on October 29, 1923, the Republic of Turkey was established; Whereas the visionary leader of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, became the Turkish Republic’s first President; Whereas, on July 24, 1923, the Treaty of Lausanne determined the borders of the Turkish Republic; Whereas more than 500,000 Americans of Turkish and Turkic heritage, who immigrated to the United States as scientists, engineers and physicians since 1950, and small business owners and skilled labor since 1980, reside in the United States; Whereas to represent themselves nationally, Turkish Americans have formed civic institutions to promote their history and culture; Whereas to share the Turkish tradition of generosity and hospitality and to contribute richly to American cultural diversity, education, and integration, Turkish Americans have hosted American school teachers on visits to Turkey, annual festivals, and educational and cultural speaker events across the country; Whereas Turkish Americans are an important part of the fabric of the United States, as evidenced by their rich contributions to the arts, science, academics, law, business and the civic life of this country, including the co-founder of Atlantic Records and the New York Cosmos soccer team, Ahmet Ertegun, whose jazz diplomacy and sports diplomacy helped Americans embrace diversity; Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Coca-Cola Company Muhtar Kent; Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Aziz Sancar; co-founders of Sierra Nevada Corporation and producer of the Dream Chaser Spacecraft, Eren and Fatih Ozmen; founder of Hittite Microwave Corporation Yalcin Ayasli; Associate Group Leader of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory Dr. Serpil Ayasli; television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz; President and Chief Executive Officer of Keystone Construction and Keystone Realty Group and founder of the Indy 11 Indianapolis Soccer Team Ersal Ozdemir; music producer Arif Mardin; Federal Judge Halil Suleyman Ozerden; State Judges Jay Karahan and Ali Paksoy