Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much, Anastasia, and really thank you, thank you for coming out today. We were extremely proud when we raised the Uzbek flag for the first time in the city, down at Bowling Green. It has been our goal to state that no community should live in the shadows of what this country has to offer.
And you have shown us time and time again in the city, you believe in family, you believe in faith, you believe in business, and most importantly, you believe in public safety. And each time we host events here at Gracie Mansion, this is your first event you're holding here. We love to acknowledge our men and women of the law enforcement community who's here, men and women of the New York City Police Department. They keep us safe, and we should always lift them up in prayers and support.
And I want to thank my good friend, Alec Brook-Krasny, who is an assembly member who leads an important part of Brooklyn. Brooklyn, as you know, New York is the Tashkent of America, but Brooklyn is the capital of that. The largest Uzbek community lives here in New York City.
And you have historically been the bridge, the Silk Road between the East and how we ensure we did trade and communication. I want you to do that also here in New York City. Your abilities to interact with all of our various communities we think is crucial.
I love all of my stans, Kazakhstan and the others, but Uzbekistan is growing, your country is becoming stronger and stronger every day. And so, as you embrace the life of America, do not abandon the beauty of Uzbekistan. Our country calls for you to hold on to your culture, your food, your clothing, your dance, your music, your way of life. We want that to be part of the overall plan of what makes the diversity of this city a great city to raise children and families.
So again, I thank you. You grace us with your presence by being here at Gracie Mansion and adding to the other ethnic communities that have come out. We've had 70 roundtables with all of our various groups. No mayor has ever done that before. It is our way of saying you are welcome here, in this city and in this country and you have added to the greatness of this country. This is the greatest city on the globe because we have the greatest people on the globe here in New York. Thank you very much.
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