FRESNO (Fresno Bee) –A planned reception in Fresno for a food and agriculture delegation visiting from Turkey has been canceled after complaints from members of the area’s influential Armenian community.

The group of 25 people from 14 Turkish food companies in the West Mediterranean Exporters Association was originally to visit Fresno on Tuesday as part of a three-day swing through California.

The Fresno itinerary was to include meetings and an industry reception with the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, the Fresno Economic Development Corporation and the Fresno County Farm Bureau, according to Trelodex, a Turkish trade-consulting firm that is organizing the trip.

On Thursday, however, the chamber, EDC, Farm Bureau and state Sen. Andreas Borgeas issued a joint statement with Berj Apkarian, Armenia’s honorary consul in Fresno, announcing they were canceling Tuesday’s event “out of respect to our community.”

The California tour includes stops at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco on Monday and visits with wholesalers, produce markets and supermarkets in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

News of the reception in Fresno reportedly sparked objections and complaints by Armenian-Americans in Fresno, including calls to Apkarian’s honorary consulate office in Fresno.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign Up for Our Newsletters

Get notified of the latest updates from MassisPost.

You May Also Like

Dilijan Chamber Music Series Presents Important Premieres and a Masterpiece by Brahms

LOS ANGELES—The critically acclaimed Dilijan Chamber Music Series presents its “Heart that…

Komitas Documentary Film at the 14th Annual ARPA International Film Festival

Throughout the ages humanity has both praised and condemned those of distinction…

Armenia Declares State Of Emergency, Coronavirus Cases Top 30

YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Citing the need to contain the further spread of…

Re-Consecration of St. Giragos Armenian Church in Diyarbakir

DIYARBAKIR — St. Giragos (Surp Giragos) Armenian Church in Turkey’s southeastern province…