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UNCLAS ISTANBUL 000487 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SCUL SOCI TU AM GR
SUBJECT: GULEN MOVEMENT AFFILIATES PLAN TURKISH-ARMENIAN 
FESTIVAL IN LOS ANGELES 
 
¶1. Summary.  Gulen-affiliated organizations are planning a 
multi-cultural event April 2-5, 2009, in Costa Mesa, 
California, titled "Anatolian Cultures & Food Festival/ 
Discovering Turkey." The festival will inform the local 
community about Anatolian Culture and the contributions to it 
of (among others) the Greek, Armenian, and Turkish 
communities. The organizers claim to have the support of the 
Turkish President and Minister of Culture, and intend to seek 
the support of the Armenian government. End summary. 
 
¶2. On September 9, we met with The Pacifica Institute, based 
in Los Angeles, California, represented by Vice President 
Ibrahim Barlas; its sister organization the 
Bosphorus-Atlantic Association of Cultural Cooperation and 
Friendship (BAKIAD), based in Istanbul, Turkey, represented 
by Secretary General Kubilay Dikyurt; and Gurkan Vural, a 
media consultant. They are planning an event titled 
"Anatolian Cultures & Food Festival/ Discovering Turkey." The 
festival will inform the Southern California community about 
Anatolian Culture and the contributions to it of (among 
others) the Greek, Armenian, and Turkish communities. (Barlas 
estimated that some 30,000 people of Turkish descent reside 
in Southern California; a quick Google search indicates that 
as many as 450,000 persons of Armenian descent also reside 
therein.) The festival will span four days (April 2-5, 2009), 
and will occupy about seven acres at the Orange Country Fair 
Ground in Costa Mesa, California. The entrance fee will be 
seven dollars and the organizers expect it to draw a minimum 
of 100,000 people. According to the organizers, the festival 
would be one of the largest outreach efforts ever in the 
United States regarding Anatolian Culture. 
 
¶3. As taken from its website, the Pacifica Institute is a 
501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2003 by the 
"Turkish American community of California." The Pacifica 
Institute,s mission is to "promote cross-cultural awareness, 
in order to attain peace and diversity with our neighbors, 
help establish a better society where individuals love, 
respect, and accept each other as they are." Its vision is "a 
community in which people from all walks of life interact 
with each other and cooperate to serve their communities, 
thereby strengthening civil society and promoting the 
development of human values." The website contains 
information on the Whirling Dervishes and the poet Rumi, 
figures strongly identified with Sufi Islam. The organizers 
readily acknowledged being affiliated with the Gulen Movement. 
 
¶4. Barlas explained that he initiated the meeting to alert 
the Consulate to the festival (invitations will be extended 
to the Consul General and Ambassador) and to inform that 
approximately 120 Turkish artists, support staff and 
construction workers will be applying for visas. According to 
Barlas, he has an appointment with Turkish President Gul to 
present the festival,s promotional materials (a DVD and 
brochure, developed by Vural) and to receive Gul's comments 
on their planned outreach to the Armenian government. Barlas 
explained that he spoke to Gul during Gul's January visit to 
Washington. According to Barlas, Gul reacted favorably and 
supported the idea of the festival. Barlas has also presented 
festival materials to Armenian associations in the Los 
Angeles area and hopes to present them to the Consul General 
of Armenia in Los Angeles. 
 
¶5. Comment. Although the organizers said that this was the 
largest such event they had ever attempted, they claimed to 
have substantial experience with similar events. The 
promotional materials provided were professionally prepared, 
and the organizers responded satisfactorily to all of the 
questions we raised about event preparations. End comment. 
WIENER