ABOUT AFOT

AFOT Mission Statement

The mission of the American Friends of Turkey is to support and strengthen relations between America and Turkey by deepening the understanding and appreciation of our two centuries of friendship. Our goal is to develop further a broad range of mutual interests including culture, education, the environment, literature and the arts.

Who Are the American Friends of Turkey?
American Friends of Turkey (AFOT) was founded in the mid-1970s by Col. Ralph Ropp with the support of U.S. military and State Department personnel who had served in Turkey and who wished to strengthen relations between America and Turkey. Since then, AFOT has sought through various programs and projects to build bridges between the American and Turkish peoples.

AFOT was incorporated as a tax-exempt institution under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1982. AFOT’s Annual Conference was initiated that same year. In October, 1991, the Board of Directors of AFOT voted to change the name of the organization to The American-Turkish Friendship Council, Inc, “An organization dedicated to education on U.S. Turkish cultural, commercial and defense Issues.” In 1994, the Council split into two separate sister organizations: The American-Turkish Council (ATC), to foster greater business ties between the two countries and The American Friends of Turkey (AFOT) to continue cultural, educational, and philanthropic programs.

Today AFOT’s focus is on creating opportunities, primarily but not exclusively, in the Greater Washington, D.C. area, for Americans to be exposed to Turkey’s uniquely rich history and culture, and current trends in Turkey in education, the environment, literature and the arts. In addition, we are expanding our programs to reach out to a broad cross-section of American society throughout the country to appreciate better the links of friendship, tradition, and common interests that bind our two peoples.

AFOT is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit association organized and operated pursuant to Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All contributions are tax-deductible.