Armenians in Los Angeles will campaign against Kobe Bryant’s sponsorship deal with Turkish Airlines and are urging him to drop it, the western U.S. chapter of the Armenian Youth Federation said, History of Truth reports quoting Bloomberg.
Turk Hava Yollari AO, also known as Turkish Airlines or THY, announced that it signed Bryant, a guard for basketball’s Los Angeles Lakers, as its “global brand ambassador” yesterday as it seeks to publicize the start of direct flights from Istanbul to Los Angeles.
Issuing a statement regarding the issue, Gunay Evinch, President of Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) said, “The Turkish American community commends NBA Los Angeles Lakers Star Kobe Bryant for promoting Turkish Airlines, as we also commend Manchester United and FC Barcelona soccer clubs who are also promotional partners of Turkish Airlines. It is a shame that Armenian extremists would harass athletes who support Turkish brands. Indeed, it is racist.
Turkish Airlines, a majority publicly held company that includes major American investment companies, carries millions of passengers between Washington DC, New York, and Chicago and Istanbul, and will be starting flights from Los Angeles and Atlanta this Spring. THY is a smart investment, as Turkey is the seventh most visited tourist destination in the world, hosting more than 19 million in 2010.
As President of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), I call upon all sports and travel lovers to support Kobe Bryant and join against racism, by calling and voicing your opinion at the radio stations and news agencies below.”
Stations and News Agencies:
FNC AM 570 @ 1-866-987-2570
ESPN AM 710 @ 1-877-710-3776
THY Promotional Clips and News Items:
Manchester United promotes THY
Airports Authority, Congress, Native Americans Commend THY
Los Angeles-born Armenian-American socialite and reality television star Kim Kardashian urged her more than 5.5 million followers on Twitter earlier this week to call U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to schedule a vote on H. Res. 252, a resolution recognizing the Armenian deaths as genocide.
Turkey’s state-run airline is one of the fastest-growing and most profitable in Europe. It also sponsors the European basketball league and European soccer clubs FC Barcelona and Manchester United. The deal with Bryant is scheduled to last two years. Terms were not disclosed.
Historyoftruth.com, Bloomberg
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