Launch of the Documentary "The Road to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" Held

The launch of the documentary "The Road to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus", produced and led by the BAU Center for Civilization Studies (MEDAM) in collaboration with the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Bahçeşehir Cyprus University, was held at the Concorde Tower Hotel in Nicosia.

The launch event was attended by TRNC President Ersin Tatar; Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Prof. Dr. Mustafa Şentop, representing President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; Speaker of the TRNC Assembly of the Republic Zorlu Töre; President for Turks Abroad and Related Communities Abdullah Eren; Commander of the Turkish Cypriot Peace Forces Major General Sezai Öztürk; Commander of the Security Forces Zorlu Topaloğlu; Chairman of the Executive Board of Bahçeşehir Uğur Educational Institutions (BUEK) Hüseyin Yücel; Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Bahçeşehir Cyprus University Eral Osmanlar; President of Bahçeşehir University Prof. Dr. Şirin Karadeniz; President of Bahçeşehir Cyprus University Prof. Dr. Mehmet Toycan; TRNC ministers; bureaucrats from both countries; BAU MEDAM Director Ağah Karlıağa; as well as academics and citizens.

"It Will Shed Light from the Past to the Present"

Delivering the opening speech of the launch, held ahead of the 39th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to be celebrated on 15 November, Eral Osmanlar, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Bahçeşehir Cyprus University, said: "On behalf of myself and my institution, we kindly ask our Speaker Mr. Mustafa Şentop to convey our gratitude to our President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who ensured that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus received observer member status at the 9th Summit of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States held in Samarkand three days ago. We are excited to bring to the audience today our documentary that tells the glorious freedom struggle of the Turkish Cypriots, that is, of us. We know that if we do not tell our story correctly, we will be exposed to someone else's biased account of history. If we do not keep our heroes alive, tomorrow our children will look for historical truths in the wrong places. With this awareness, as the Bahçeşehir Cyprus University family, we wanted to carry the epic written by our heroes to today and to the future. We are those who fearlessly resisted Greek Cypriot atrocities for decades; who gave their lives and their blood but never gave up their freedom. The TRNC was founded with the common consensus of all parties in the assembly, with the support of the Turkish Cypriot people young and old, and with a love of independence. Given so much pain and sacrifice in the past, what we must do today is to protect and exalt this paradise homeland of ours and our Republic founded on 15 November 1983. The documentary we are launching has been prepared for this purpose; it will shed light from the past to the present and, as an immortal work, will tell the road that led to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus."

"It Will Be an Instructive and Lasting Educational Resource"

Bahçeşehir University President Prof. Dr. Şirin Karadeniz said: "Our most fundamental aim in the documentary is to clarify the rightful struggle of the Turkish Cypriots by going into the details of the political and social problem experienced in Cyprus and showing that the TRNC is not an artificial or vassal state. It is to ensure an understanding that the Turks, as the side always closest to reconciliation and peace on the island, have extended the olive branch every time, and to provide knowledge about the importance and place of Cyprus in Türkiye's long-term plans. In this context, it is an inevitable necessity that young people in particular grasp, within a historical perspective, the development of the Cyprus issue, the kinds of obstacles encountered and the prices paid, and internalize the rightful cause of the Turkish Cypriots. It is important for us that the documentary becomes an instructive and lasting educational resource for future generations. We would be happy to see it used as an educational resource, especially in our courses at secondary and university level."