Symposium on "The History of Turkish Cypriots" Held in the UK

Participants included Turkey's Ambassador to London, Osman Koray Ertaş, and the TRNC's Representative to London, Çimen Keskin. Speakers at the symposium included Mustafa Kureyşi, President of the Cezire Association, and former President of the British Turkish Cypriot Associations Council (BTCA), Ersu Ekrem.

Kureyşi highlighted the arrival of Arabs in the region following the advent of Islam, noting that Turks from Central Asia joined Islamic armies during the Umayyad and Abbasid periods. He suggested that some descendants of these Turks might still be present on the island.

He also mentioned the existence of Turkish slaves in Cyprus before the Ottoman era, some of whom converted to Christianity and became ancestors of certain Greek Cypriots today. Historical documents indicating the presence of mosques and madrasas in Cyprus before the Ottoman conquest were also shared. Kureyşi explained that Turks arrived on the island not only through Ottoman resettlement policies but also as part of internal migrations within the empire.

Kureyşi noted that British records referred to the Turks in Cyprus as "Turkish-Muslims," while Greek documents referred to all Muslims as "Turks."

Ersu Ekrem discussed the situation of Turkish Cypriots during the events leading to the modern Cyprus conflict.

In his closing remarks, Ambassador Ertaş stressed the importance of teaching and understanding the history of Turkish Cypriots for a shared future. He highlighted the peaceful environment currently prevailing on the island and emphasized the potential for cooperation between the two sides as separate states.