Press Releases

Ambassador Wilson and Nurşen Dönmez Kırıcıkaya, General Manager EMSAD

US Mission Donates Scholarship Funds to Commemorate 9/11

Ankara, September 11, 2006 

In commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, the US Mission in Turkey made a donation to the Association for Aid and Solidarity with the Families of Martyrs from the Security Services (EMŞAD). The donation of $10,000 is to be used for scholarships for children of victims of terrorism in Turkey.

In a ceremony at the US Embassy in Ankara, Ambassador Ross Wilson presented the donation to Ms. Nursen Dönmez Kırıcıkaya, EMŞAD General Director.  

"Terrorism affects all of us.  Nowhere is this clearer than in Turkey, where PKK terrorism has claimed tens of thousands of lives and where al-Qaeda launched devastating attacks in Istanbul in 2003," said Ambassador Wilson. "For me, our donation today is a way of looking forward as we look back in sorrow at the sad wreckage left behind by PKK, al-Qaeda and other terrorist violence." 

"On behalf of the children of victims to terrorism, I want to thank the Ambassador and the US Mission for this generous gift," said Ms. Kırıcıkaya. "On this anniversary we remember that terrorism is not just a problem for Turkey; it is the world's problem."

EMŞAD is a non-profit organization assisting families of security forces members who lost their lives to terrorism.  The organization makes sure that families know their legal rights, helps them find pro bono legal representation if necessary, provides psychological comfort to families, and acts as an advocate for victims’ families with the administration of the security services.