Turkish Cultural Center New Hampshire Turkish Cultural Center New Hampshire
Over 100 Senators and Representatives attended the second “Second Annual Turkish Culture Day” organized at the New Hampshire State House by Turkish Cultural Center New Hampshire (TCCNH) and the Council of Turkic American Associations (CTAA). Representative Terie Norelli, Speaker of the House, was the guest of honor of the event. In her speech, Speaker Norelli focused on the growing importance of the Turkish community in New Hampshire and the rest of the country, stressing that this is an important gain for Hew Hampshire. She stated, “Seeing the tangible results of these activities is encouraging to both communities. It’s evident that we can coordinate our efforts in other areas and we will provide the necessary support that you require in future endeavors.
Representative Steve Shurtleff, majority leader of the House, was one of the hosts of the event and expressed his desire to go to Turkey at the first available opportunity. Representative Shurtleff spoke about the positive opinions he heard from other legislators who previously attended trips to Turkey.
Another important member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, Minority Leader Representative Gene Chandler, stated that this was the first time he attended an event of this kind, and that he was moved by the enthusiasm he witnessed. Many Senators and Representatives took turns to speak and spoke positively of Turkey and Turkish people. One of these Representatives was Lenette Peterson. Representative Peterson played an important role in the organization of the second “Annual Turkish Culture Day” and expressed her excitement about returning to Turkey for a second visit this year. She also expressed the pleasure she felt about being one of the hosts of the event.
In his speech, Senator Lou D’Allesandro stated, “[i]n a brief period of time, the Turkish-American community has been able to express its voice throughout New Hampshire with the unique events it has been organizing. It is impossible to ignore this reality. I am very pleased that Turkish Culture Center is located in my district.”
Professor Serkan Bayraktaroglu, Dean of Suleyman Sah University in Istanbul, who was in New Hampshire to speak to representatives of Hesser College about potential common projects between the two universities, stated that through the efforts of Turkish Cultural Center, there have been great developments in the relationship between Turkey and the U.S. with regards to educational efforts. Professor Bayraktaroglu invited the representatives who will visit Turkey this summer to Suleyman Sah University.
In his speech, TCC President Eyup Sener stated that Turkish-American relations are improving each day, and that communities with sizable Turkish-American communities make positive contributions to the development of Turkish-American relations. President Sener stated that 10 members of the New Hampshire Legislature will visit Turkey this year.
The part of the event that received the most attention was the Sema performance by Semazen Adem Baskaya. CTAA President Furkan Kosar, who made the closing remarks of the event, thanked the New Hampshire Legislature for their support of the second “Annual Turkish Culture Day.”
