BY DAILY SABAH
In one year since its inauguration, the Turkish House (Türkevi) in New York has helped the country to increase its “visibility,” Türkiye’s Consul General in New York says.
The landmark 36-story skyscraper houses the U.N. permanent mission of Türkiye as well as the Turkish Consulate General.
The building, which features traditional Turkish architectural motifs, especially from the Seljuk Empire of a millennium ago, rises to the sky in the shape of a tulip and can be seen from downtown Manhattan, the East River and as far away as Long Island. It was designed as a symbolic skyscraper that will add to the skyline of New York, one of the world’s most iconic cities, and reflect Turkish culture, history and diversity.
Since it was opened on Sept. 20, 2021, Turkish House has hosted more than 50 social, cultural and formal events, bringing together people from more than 10 countries. Along with the Turkish expat community in New York, it has been a popular location among the diplomatic community in the city.
Consul General Reyhan Özgür told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday that the new building also helped them to expand their services.
“We organized a diverse array of events. Organizing more than 50 events in such a short time was difficult but this new, spacious building helped us. Local officials, diplomatic circles are particularly interested in visiting Turkish House,” he said, noting that it hosted the largest reception for the diplomatic community in New York shortly after its inauguration. “We hosted diplomats from nearly 60 countries and introduced them to the opportunities Turkish House provided them. This paved the way for new cooperation and we hosted joint cultural and touristic events,” Özgür stated. He cited an event for “Black History Month” as a key event to reach out to more people in New York, with the participation of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). “We also hosted an event on Africa Day in cooperation with African Union Foundation, one of the largest foundations in New York, in a bid to highlight Türkiye’s policies and interest towards Africa,” he said.
“Turkish House made our country more visible in New York. Previously, we were serving in a rented building and had limited resources to serve Turkish citizens,” he said, noting that Turkish House has also become a gathering point for the Turkish community in the city. “For instance, we hosted more than 300 students and parents from Turkish schools in New York on Children’s Day,” he said. He noted they were occasionally allocating venues for Turkish nonprofit organizations in the United States upon their request.