The symposium held at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London was attended by Osman Koray Ertaş, Turkey's Ambassador to London, and Çimen Keskin, the TRNC's London Representative-Ambassador. Cezire Association President Mustafa Kureyşi and former UK Cypriot Turkish Associations Council (BTCA) President Ersu Ekrem also spoke at the symposium.Kureyşi stated that Arabs came to the region after the emergence of Islam, and noted that Central Asian Turks joined the Islamic armies as soldiers during the Umayyad and Abbasid periods.Kureyşi, who explained that Islamic armies raided Cyprus during these periods, stated that there may be descendants of these Turks on the island.
Kureyşi said that there were Turkish slaves in Cyprus before the Ottoman Empire, some of them converted to Christianity and they are the ancestors of some of the Greeks today.
Sharing historical documents indicating that there were mosques and madrasahs in Cyprus before the Ottoman conquest, Kureyşi stated that Turks were settled on the island from Anatolia after the conquest, and that Turks came to the island as a result of migration within the Ottoman Empire.
Kureyşi explained that in British documents, Turks on the island were referred to as "Turkish-Muslims", while in Greek documents, all Muslims were referred to as "Turks".
Ersu Ekrem also discussed the situation of Turks on the island in the process that developed with the beginning of today's Cyprus problem.
Turkey's Ambassador to London Ertaş, in his speech at the end of the symposium, pointed out the importance of telling and teaching Turkish history on the island for a common future.
Ertaş emphasized that there is currently a peaceful environment on the island of Cyprus and that the two sides can cooperate with each other as separate states.