History out of the Chest: Documentary on Prisoners of the Gallipoli in Cyprus Promoted in TRNC

The documentary ‘History out of the Chest: Prisoners of the Gallipoli in Cyprus’, which was produced with the support of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), was launched as part of an event held in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

Produced with the support of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), the documentary titled ‘History Out of the Chest: Prisoners of the Gallipoli in Cyprus’, was promoted at the Prof. Ümit Hassan Republic Hall of Near East University (NEU).

The event was attended by TRNC President Ersin Tatar, Speaker of the Republican Assembly Zorlu Töre, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth, and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu, YTB President Abdullah Eren, Turkish Ambassador to Nicosi Metin Feyzioğlu, Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Leader Tufan Erhürman, and other guests. Taking the floor as part of the event, TRNC President Tatar pointed out that the Gallipoli Wars hold a key role in the history of the Turkish nation.

 

Reminding that Britain annexed Cyprus at the time of the Gallipoli Wars, Tatar said: ‘At the cost of their lives, the Turkish Cypriots rescued some of the Turkish soldiers brought to Cyprus as prisoners in the aftermath of the war and shipped them to Türkiye by boat.’

Mr. Töre, the President of the TRNC Republican Assembly, underlined that both the TRNC and Türkiye are the national states of the Turkish Cypriot people. Mr. Töre added: ‘We are straightforward: We have a shared history and we will share the future. We are united, we are collective and we are the Turkish nation all together.’

Türkiye's Ambassador to Nicosia Mr. Feyzioğlu also noted that there are various breaking points in the glorious history of the Turkish nation and said: ‘The Gallipoli Victory is one of those breaking points.’

Taking the floor during the event, YTB President Abdullah Eren stated that Cyprus is particularly significant for YTB and noted that YTB has always looked out for the Turkish Cypriots.

 

Mr. Eren said that the documentary on ‘History Out of the Chest: Prisoners of the Gallipoli in Cyprus’ shows how united and concerted the Turks are.  Mr. Eren said that the documentary is a major work to be passed on to the next generations.

Ünal Üstündağ, the director of the documentary, explained how producing a documentary is not a walk in the park and added: ‘I would like to thank YTB, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye for their inputs and putting their trust in me.’

The documentary is focused on a Turkish prison camp established in Gazimağusa in 1916 during World War I, where soldiers captured at Gallipoli were held and thousands of Turkish prisoners were brought up until 1920, under the extremely harsh conditions and Turkish Cypriots trying to extend a helping hand to the Turkish soldiers.