World
Erdoğan urges Turkish diaspora in the US to keep its roots and take part in elections
The Turkish president addressed Turkish and Muslim community groups in New York. He defended integration while rejecting assimilation, and later departed for Istanbul.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended a gathering in New York with Turkish and related communities organized by YTB, TASC, UID, MÜSİAD and the US Council of Muslim Organizations, Anadolu Ajansı reported.
In his speech, he emphasized a sense of brotherhood beyond borders, passports and geography, and said that this shared bond also brings mutual responsibilities for Turkish and Muslim communities in the United States.
Erdoğan said Turks in the US have achieved important positions in business, science, academia, health care, law and technology. He also praised people without Turkish citizenship who nonetheless feel close to Turkey and speak out against prejudice and unfair treatment targeting the Turkish people.
According to Anadolu, he stressed that long-term success depends on quality education, while also arguing that the children of immigrants should preserve their language, culture and ties to their homeland. In that context, he said integration should not require people to deny their roots.
Erdoğan added that, while the United States is an exception in this regard, many parts of the world, especially Europe, still pose problems for Muslims because they are expected to assimilate rather than integrate. He said he supports integration and rejects all forms of assimilation.
He also called for stronger diaspora institutions and a firmer response to Islamophobia, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination. During the same speech, he referred to Gaza and said preventing similar events from occurring elsewhere requires greater organization and institutional capacity.
Erdoğan further urged Turkish citizens in the US to use their democratic rights in the upcoming midterm elections and make their voices heard.
In a separate report, Anadolu Ajansı said Erdoğan left the United States after his visit to New York for the 81st UN General Assembly and other meetings. He flew to Istanbul aboard the TUR aircraft with his wife, Emine Erdoğan. At John F. Kennedy International Airport, he was seen off by Turkey’s permanent representative to the UN, Ahmet Yıldız, ambassador in Washington, Sedat Önal, and New York Consul General Muhittin Ahmet Yazal.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
