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The reception at the Manhattan Center was closed to the press and was organized in cooperation with the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) and the Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC).
“From here, through you, I send my greetings to all the oppressed and victims whose hearts beat with us. I send my greetings to all my brothers and sisters who are struggling to hold on to life as Muslims in different corners of the world,” Erdoğan said at the opening.
Stating that they came together again this year in good health and well-being after a two-year obligatory break, Erdoğan said: "I am very happy to be among our brothers. I bring you the greetings of your relatives, friends and brothers from Turkey. We missed you very much, we see that our brothers in America missed us too."
Expressing that he is pleased with the aid campaigns organized by the American Islamic community by foundations and associations, Erdoğan said that both Turkish citizens and Muslims have carried out valuable works and that they have shown the beauty of being a Muslim to American society with their lives, stances and generosity.
Erdoğan stated that he sees the fight against Islamophobia both through nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and individually and that he is pleased with this. "With this vast experience you have, it is very important that you contribute more to the fight against hate crimes and cultural racism. As Turkey, we take a leading role in the fight against Islamophobia and intolerance on international platforms."
Using the phrase "The achievements you have achieved in America make us and our nation proud as much as you do," Erdoğan said that he believes the number of successful businesspersons and scientists in the U.S. will increase even more.
"I hope that you will assume a greater role in the political field in parallel with the successes you have achieved in the commercial, scientific, social and cultural fields. In the coming period, I expect you to raise many more political representatives, both at the federal and state level. This is what suits this powerful community where the number of people of only Turkish descent exceeds 300,000," he added.
Emphasizing that the contributions of Turkish society to American society have had extremely positive reflections on Turkish-American relations, Erdoğan stated that he especially follows the efforts of NGOs established by Turkish citizens and compatriots living in the United States to promote Turkey, its culture and history to Americans.
Pointing out that the Turkish-American society has reached a certain level of maturity, Erdoğan said he believes Turkish society will make greater contributions to Turkey-U.S. relations by acting in unity and solidarity.
