President’s Message - April 2008
Istanbul a bridge between East and West – and beyond
As we move into spring and through our in-between meetings in Ottawa, we are now in the final stages of planning for the 2008 Summer Congress, which promises to be a rich professional and cultural experience.
This year’s congress, set for July 7-13, is being held in one of the world’s largest cities – one that straddles two continents on both the European and Asian sides of the Bosphorus Strait in Western Turkey. It’s where East meets West, and where diverse cultures, religions and peoples come together.
Istanbul is an exciting location and one that will provide a unique experience for many of us in the CIOR. Both the European and Asian sides of the city will be used to host the congress, including the employer-support symposium, the media workshop, the military competition, the young reserve officers’ workshop, the language academy, and the work of the CIOR’s standing committees.
Our focus will be on examining issues and providing analysis and recommendations relating to reserve force development, especially our current priority – strengthening employer-support programs and legislation. This will be highlighted at the 2008 Symposium, as well as a workshop designed to provide a baseline knowledge of current structures supporting the relationships between ministries of defence, serving reservists, and their civilian employers.
With reservists continuing to be called upon to meet the personnel needs of large-scale missions, such as Afghanistan, and for full-time postings at home to backfill regular force members being deployed abroad, we must optimize the availability of those reservists by working with their employers so that reservists are available when required. Once again, we hope to highlight a policy and delivery area critical to mission success by putting it onto the agenda of NATO's Military Committee, national governments, ministries of defence and, of course, national reserve associations.
When not engaged in this important work, there will be time to mix and mingle with our Turkish colleagues and enjoy the rich history and culture of a city that dates back to pre-Roman times. The site of present-day Istanbul was first established as a town in 657 BC. Conquered by Alexander the Great and later destroyed by the Romans, a new city was built in 330 AD. Initially called New Rome, it was quickly named Constantinople – to honour the Roman Emperor, Constantine. After its fall to the Ottoman army in 1453, the city was renamed Istanbul.
The Museum of Ottoman and Turkish Military History, located on the European side of the city, holds centuries’ worth of artefacts and other displays, including a cannon from the Battle of Gallipoli. The Topkapi Palace, home to the Ottoman Sultans, and the Grand Bazaar are also among the many must-see historic venues.
The European and Asian sides of Istanbul are linked by two main bridges and a very popular passenger ferry system, where one can enjoy a cup of tea or Turkish coffee while absorbing outstanding views of a vast and fascinating city, and the Bosphorus Strait. Bringing people, cultures and continents together, they are perhaps symbolic of our organization – one where we must look beyond our national, cultural, ethnic and other differences in order to focus on what we have in common. In doing so, we achieve synergy – blending our efforts to strengthen relations between NATO, reservists and national reserve associations in member countries – and build bridges by expanding our reach, engaging long-term and new NATO countries, PfP and Mediterranean Dialogue nations, and other key stakeholders.
I look forward to seeing you at the 2008 Summer Congress in Istanbul in early July. This congress promises to be an opportunity of a lifetime – one you don’t want to miss.
Carman R. McNary
Capt (N)
CIOR President