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Your email address will not be published.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 *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sign Up for Our Newsletters

Get notified of the latest updates from MassisPost.

You May Also Like

Restoration of Armenian Catholic Church in Sur

ISTANBUL (Agos) — The curfews and consequent clashes turned Sur province of…

” Faith & Love-Mission to Artsakh ” Lecture Presentations by Siobhan Nash-Marshall

PASADENA — On Friday, February 21st and Sunday, February 23rd, the Christians…

President-Elect Armen Sarkissian Meets IT Specialists in Silicon Valley

SILICON VALLEY — Armenia’s President-elect Armen Sarkissian met with nearly 200 representatives…

World Chess Team Championship Day Three: Armenia – Russia 2-2

NINGBO, CHINA — The Armenian team ended the match with Russian team…