Turkish day parade takes place in New York

The 31st Turkish Day Parade and Festival took place in New York on May 19. Thousands of Turks living in New York joined the parade along with many Turkish officials. Speaking after the parade, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said that the Turkish government wished its citizens living in the United States or other countries around the world to take active role in politics. "There are 12,000 Turkish university students and 4,000 scientists in the United States, and we are proud of the Turkish community here," Bozdag said. Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan said Turkish citizens in the United States were not interested in politics, but expressed hope that Turkey could see some of its citizens as members of the House of Representatives within the next 10 years.