New York enjoys Turkish day parade

Organized by the Federation of Turkish-American Associations (TADF), the 28th annual Turkish Day Parade was held in New York yesterday. Among the attendees of the parade, which witnessed very colorful and joyful scenes, were Hayati Yazici, the state minister responsible for Turks living abroad, Turkey's Ambassador to Washington Nabi Sensoy, Turkey's Permanent UN Representative Baki Ilkin, Turkish Consul-General in New York Mehmet Samsar, Turkey-US Friendship Group leader and Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Antalya deputy Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) New York representative Kemal Goceri, a 10-member delegation from the Turkish Parliament and thousands of Turkish people living in the US. The event kicked off at the 56th street of New York's famous Madison Avenue with many Turkish schools, organizations and companies showing off their floats. Folk-dance groups, some from Turkey and others from Turkish organizations in the US, put on a vibrant show for attendees and the passerby. The parade also hosted groups from Turkey as thousands dressed in red and white waved the Turkish flag, painting the streets of New York with the two colors. The Turkish Day Parade continued into late hours of the evening with folk-dance performances livening up the atmosphere. Following the parade, a Turkish festival was also held in the Dag Hammerskjold Park with concerts of Turkish musicians and performances by Turkish folk dances groups. Speaking to reporters afterwards, State Minister Yazici expressed his happiness for attending such an event, and voiced his admiration for the organization and the efforts exerted to realize it. Thanking those who were involved in the preparation of the event, Yazici said that it was magnificent. He also called on Turks living in the US to better integrate with the American society, adding, "The close relationship that you Turks living in the US have with Americans will affect the two countries' ties positively.”