Contact: Sid Salter
Namik Tan, Turkey's ambassador to the United States, will visit Mississippi over two days next week as a special guest of the Radvanyi Chair in International Security Studies at Mississippi State University. He is coming to expand economic and cultural relations between his nation and Mississippi, especially MSU.
The diplomat will arrive in Jackson on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 16. After his arrival, the ambassador is expected to tour the Vicksburg National Military Park, the Ross Barnett Reservoir in Jackson, and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Museum. In the evening, Tan will meet with members of the Turkish community in Mississippi and attend a private dinner in his honor.
On Wednesday, Oct. 17, the ambassador will tour the Mississippi State Capitol Building and receive a briefing from the Mississippi Development Authority before meeting with Gov. Phil Bryant.
At 11:45 a.m., Ambassador Tan will address the Executive Lecture Forum at the Fairview Inn in Jackson, an event sponsored by the Executive Lecture Forum and MSU's Radvanyi Chair in International Security Studies. Following the meal, the ambassador will deliver formal remarks on the topic "Turkey in a Changing World."
Established in 1983, the Executive Lecture Forum at MSU provides a unique outreach program. It hosts internationally respected speakers from around the globe to address the membership. Its publications reach government agencies, think-tanks, and major libraries.
The Turkish diplomat will depart Mississippi immediately following the lecture.
Members of the media are welcome to attend his Thursday lecture at the Fairview Inn in Jackson.
Interested members of the news media are invited to the ambassador's presentations. To ensure adequate seating at either locale--or set up individual interviews, time permitting--contact Tan Tsai of the Radvanyi Center in advance. She may be reached at 662-325-4062 or tsai@research.msstate.edu