Sweden honors Turkish immigrants

Zülfü Livaneli, who has a background related to Sweden, is among the invitees at the reception which will be held today to mark Sweden’s National Day.

Sweden will mark the 50th anniversary of the migration from Turkey and contributions of the immigrants to the country at an event organized by Swedish Embassy in Ankara as part of National Day The Swedish Embassy in Ankara is marking 50 years of migration from Turkey to the Nordic state, organizing events for National Day celebrations centered on the theme of “Beauties and Benefits of Migration.”

İshak Alaton, Zülfü Livaneli and Miss Turkey 2014 Amina Gülşe, who all have a background related to Sweden, are among the invitees at the reception which will be held today to mark Sweden’s National Day.

“Identities and culture is not something finalized,” said Ambassador Lars Wahlund, who noted the importance of the contributions that immigrants have made to the country.

“Also in the aftermath of the European Parliament elections, it is important to also send a message that there are of course challenges about migration – we are not denying that – but there are also huge benefits. Take Sweden, migration has energized Sweden, think Swedish food which was extremely dull and boring 50 years ago,” Wahlund added in an interview with Hürriyet Daily News earlier this week.
Noting that this is not the case today, the ambassador said multicultural influences had resulted in enriching Swedish cuisine.

Some 22 percent of the population in Sweden is either born outside of Sweden or has parents who were born outside of the country.

The National Day reception is an early celebration for the upcoming 50th anniversary of migration from Turkey which will be marked next year.

Sweden does not register the ethnic or religious origins of its...

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