Turkey should get rid of the chains. 

The Turkish-American Businessmen Association (TABA) has awarded 22 prominent Turkish business people, who have made great contributions to the improvement of relations between Turkey and the USA and rendered beneficial services to Turkey. The names of the successful people, who were awarded at the special ceremony, in which also Mr. Zeynel Abidin Erdem, the Chairman of TABA participated, are as follows: “Tuncay Özilhan, Aldo Kaslowski, Rıfat Hisarcıklıoğlu, Ali Sabancı, Turgay Ciner, Arzuhan Yalçındağ, Ferit Şahenk, Faruk Eczacıbaşı, Şarık Tara, Ahmet Nazif Zorlu, Mehmet Cengiz, Nuri Artok, Kaya Tuncer, Abdülkadir Konukoğlu, George Alsop, Egemen Bağış, Nafi Güral”. Because Ersin Özince, Ali Koç, Güler Sabancı, Aydın Doğan and Mehmet Emin Karamehmet were unable to participate in the ceremony, their awards were presented to their representatives.

Our newspaper’s editor-in-chief Selahattin Sadıkoğlu and columnists Nazlı Ilıcak and Cak Aksın were also present at the award ceremony, to which Mr. Robert Pearson, the US Ambassador to Ankara, participated through teleconference system as well. Many prominent names from media and business world were present at the ceremony.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. İsmail Cem stated that Turkey should get rid of the chains that hold back creativity, entrepreneurship, productivity, liberty and democracy. Mr. Turgay Ciner received his plaque from the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. İsmail Cem and Chairman of the Board of Directors of TABA Mr. Zeynel Abidin Erdem at the ceremony held at Taksim Ritz Carlton Hotel.