Turkish firms readying for trade with American Indians

A bid allowing Turkish companies to trade with American Indian tribes without requiring federal approval was recently submitted to the US House of Representatives. The move follows a visit last year to US tribal chiefs by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and then State Minister for Foreign Trade Zafer Caglayan, now economy minister, to strengthen its trade with the Indians. The Indian Tribal Trade and Investment Demonstration Project Act says its goal is "to facilitate economic development by Indian tribes and encourage investment by Turkish enterprises." In the bill, Turkey is named as the only country that can do business with Indian tribes with no additional approval by the federal government.