Turkish culture festival kicks off in Moscow

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - A Turkish festival kicked off in the Russian capital on Friday.

The event, organized by Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Embassy in Moscow, will showcase Turkish culture and traditions.

Turkey's Ambassador to Moscow Mehmet Samsar in his opening speech said this is one of the biggest festivals of its kind.

"Last year, 6 million Russian tourists visited Turkey. But there are more than 140 million Russian tourists. That is why we organize this festival. We are ready to welcome all Russian citizens in Turkey," Samsar said.

Munir Karaloglu, governor of Turkey's resort city of Antalya which is popular among Russian tourists, also attended the event. He said such initiatives strengthen people-to-people contacts.

More than 100,000 visitors are expected to attend the festival in the Krasnaya Presnya Park which will run through June 16.