Turkish Cultural Heritage Month kicks off in Washington

The ATA-DC has organized the event as part of the celebrations for the 10th annual Turkish Festival. Turkish arts, cuisine, traditions and coffee will be promoted during this month.

The month aims to promote the richness of Turkish culture to Americans and help foster a mutual understanding between the two cultures.

Among others, Republican Representative for North Carolina's fifth district Virginia Foxx and Republican Representative for Kentucky's first district Ed Whitfield, co-chairs of the Turkish-American inter-parliamentary Friendship Group at the US Congress, attended the reception at the Rayburn House Office Building.

In a speech delivered at the reception, Whitfield expressed his joy at the event. As a reflection of the growing Turkish influence in world politics, he noted that the number of members in the friendship group had increased. Foxx thanked Turkish-Americans for organizing the event.

Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) Chairman Lincoln McCurdy said the Turkish-American Friendship Group has become the largest friendship group at the US Congress. Taiwan and India follow Turkey in terms of the size of their friendship groups, he stated.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Vincent Gray in a written statement about the Turkish Cultural Heritage Month said Turkey has contributed to American culture greatly and plays a critical role in maintaining peace and stability in international relations. Gray also invited Americans to participate in the first celebration of the Turkish Cultural Heritage Month.

ATA-DC President Demet Cebbar stated that nearly 500,000 people of Turkic origin live in the US and contribute to the life of Americans in areas ranging from sports to academia. “Apart from informing American people about our culture, history and nation, we plan to emphasize our historical bonds with America and wish to create a mutual dialogue between the two nations by means of the Turkish Cultural Heritage Month,” said Cebbar.