Turkish diaspora celebrates 40th Turkish Day Parade in New York

By Betul Yuruk

NEW YORK (AA) - Turkish Americans attended the Turkish Day Parade in New York City on Saturday to celebrate the annual festival highlighting the unity and solidarity of the diaspora in the US.

Hundreds turned up for the parade in Manhattan under rainy skies.

The parade took over a stretch of Madison Avenue in Midtown.

They marched along the avenue from East 53rd to East 47th Street, carrying Turkish flags, singing and dancing.

Organized by the Federation of Turkish American Associations (TADF), the parade marks 40 years in 2023.

A convoy of vehicles belonging to various non-governmental organizations participated in the parade, driving on the avenue.

Turkish Ambassador to the UN Sedat Onal and Turkish Consul General Reyhan Ozgur greeted marchers and the convoy.

Participants later gathered at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza across from the UN and enjoyed Turkish food, music and culture.

Turkey's US Ambassador Hasan Murat Mercan told the crowd in a video message that this year's parade was particularly important as 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye.

He said the parade brought Turkish Americans together at the parade following deadly earthquakes that hit Türkiye on Feb. 6.

Mercan expressed gratitude to the diaspora in the US for the solidarity they showed for the victims of the quakes.

Trucks displaying pictures of the devastation drove along Madison Avenue during the parade.

Some Turkic countries and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus also participated with a convoy of vehicles.

Joining LOSEV's convoy -- the Foundation for Children with Leukemia -- Kaya Canikligil, 18, told Anadolu that ''Having known people who have had their lives significantly impacted by leukemia and cancer, LOSEV is a foundation that I endear as it raises awareness for these causes.''

The Turkish Day Parade was first held in 1981 in response to the assassination of Turkish diplomats in the US by the Armenian terror organization ASALA in New York.