Istanbul Center’s New Director Arrives

Atlanta – 09.10.12

Turan Kiric

A new executive director has arrived at the Midtown Atlanta office of the Istanbul Center, a Turkish organization aimed at building understanding between people of varying faiths and cultures.

Turan Kilic said in a statement that he accepted the job “without hesitation” and hoped to continue the center’s work of facilitating opportunities for cross-cultural communication.

“Difference is not the enemy of peace; rather, it is lack of knowledge and misinformation that nourish fear and hostility,” Mr. Kilic wrote in a welcome letter in the center’s email newsletter. “Dialog, reliable exchange of information, and direct communication help build trust and respect.”

Toward that goal, the Istanbul Center each year arranges educational trips to Turkey for business, political and educational leaders from metro Atlanta and for the winners of its annual art and essay contest. In 2013, middle and high school students will write essays or create art works offering solutions to decrease humanity’s footprint on the environment.

The center is also involved in business, partnering with the Turkish American Chamber of Commerce of the Southeast (which occupies shared office space) to host visiting Turkish trade delegations.

Each year, hundreds of Atlantans have visited the Istanbul Center to partake in dinners during Ramadan, a month-long festival when Muslims fast from food and water until nightfall.

Mr. Kiric replaces Tarik Celik, the inaugural executive director of the Istanbul Center in Atlanta, who left Georgia to become executive director of the Turkish American Chamber of Commerce at Texas in Houston.

For more information about the Atlanta center, visit www.istanbulcenter.org.

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