‘Oct. 7 Turkmen National Day’ celebrated in Erbil, Iraq

By Bekir Aydogan

ERBIL, Iraq (AA) - An event to mark “Oct. 7 Turkmen National Day” was held Saturday in Erbil province in Iraq.

It was organized at the Erbil provincial presidency of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) and was attended by Maruf Aydin, the minister of state for minority affairs in the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, representatives of diplomatic missions and political parties in the region, as well as Turkmen party officials and their families.

Maruf said the ITF held its first congress Oct. 7, 1997, and with a decision taken there, the date was accepted as a “national holiday” for Iraqi Turkmens.

Maruf congratulated the Turkish world and Iraqi Turkmens and stressed the importance of the Turkmens acting together in search of their rights and laws through peace and dialogue.