Istanbul-Brooklyn Bridge

bridge

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 9 February 2011)

Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş has met with his Brooklyn counterpart
Marty Markowitz. Topbaş was greeted by Markowitz in front of the
Brooklyn Municipal Building, together with a Brooklyn students band
and dance show. The song 'Türkiyem' was played and Topbaş made
a speech at the municipal building, which was decked out with Turkish
flags. In his speech, Topbaş stated how pleased he was to be in New
York and to have met with Brooklyn Mayor Markowitz.

Topbaş came to New York in his capacity as  head of the United
Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) organization and will also
have various meetings at the United Nations. Markowitz began his
remarks in Turkish, saying to Topbaş 'Merhaba arkadaşlar, Brooklyn'e
hoş geldiniz, şeref verdiniz. Mutluyuz.' (Hello friends, welcome to
Brooklyn, you honor us. We're happy.'

Markowitz noted that Istanbul is located at the juncture of two
continents and with over 12 million residents it is one of the world's
biggest cities. He said 'Istanbul, like Turkey, represents a model
for the world, joining east and west.'  Pointing out that Topbaş is
one month older than him, Markowitz addressed him as 'ağabey'
(older brother) and concluded his remarks with the words 'Ne
Mutlu Türküm diyene.' (How Happy is One Who Says I Am a
Turk)