The official opening ceremony of the Great Hun-Turkic Kurultai, organized by the Hungarian Turan Foundation to promote the traditional cultures, historical heritage and shared values of Hun- and Turkic-origin communities, was held in Hungary.
Those attending the ceremony included Kürşad Zorlu, AK Party deputy chairman and head of relations with the Turkic states; Uzbekistan's Culture Minister Yusufjon Usmanov; Kyrgyzstan's Culture Minister Mamabetaliev Mirbek; András Bíró, president of the Hungarian Turan Foundation; Kubanychbek Omuraliev, secretary-general of the Organization of Turkic States; and Sultan Raev, secretary-general of TÜRKSOY.
Abdullah Eren, president of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), Cahit Özkan, an AK Party lawmaker from Denizli, and Zeynep Yıldız, an AK Party lawmaker from Ankara, as well as guests from many countries, also attended the opening.
An important event for the Turkic world
Secretary-General of the Organization of Turkic States Omuraliev said holding the kurultai in the heart of Europe was important for the Turkic world. He said the event, held every two years, brings together numerous bureaucrats, artists and participants from across the Turkic world.
Recalling that the World Nomad Games would be held in Kyrgyzstan soon, Omuraliev said they were continuing their efforts to organize such events.
TİKA supports the kurultai
TİKA President Eren said Türkiye had provided strong support for the kurultai from the outset. Eren said TİKA had provided logistical support for the organization of the event and that the Hun-Turkic Tent had been opened this year.
Eren said TİKA's activities for the Turkic world were being displayed in the tent and expressed his pleasure that citizens from different cities across Türkiye were attending the kurultai.
Eren said work related to the culture, unity and ethnography of the Turkic world had become more visible in recent years through the activities of the Ethnosport Festival and the World Ethnosport Confederation. He said the gathering in Hungary was being held in a region connected to the geography of Turkestan, the northern Black Sea region and the historical heritage of the Huns.
Noting that relations between Türkiye and Hungary had developed recently, Eren highlighted the 150-year shared history of Turks and Hungarians and Turkish-Hungarian friendship. Eren said they were pleased that a community in Hungary considered itself related to the Turks historically and culturally, adding that the Great Hun-Turkic Kurultai was an important event highlighting this friendship.
Eren said TİKA would continue to protect the Turkish-Islamic heritage and Turkish culture, and thanked those who contributed to organizing the kurultai.
Hungarians seen as part of the Turkic world
TÜRKSOY Secretary-General Sultan Raev said the traditional kurultai had gained a major international dimension. Raev said TÜRKSOY would continue supporting the organization of the kurultais and that these activities were valuable for the Turkic world.
Raev said they considered Hungarians an integral part of the Turkic world. Expressing his pleasure that artists and scientists from the Turkic world were attending the kurultai, Raev said Hungarians would also participate in the World Nomad Games to be held in Kyrgyzstan.
History of the kurultai
The Great Hun-Turkic Kurultai, which began yesterday, is scheduled to end tomorrow. Bringing together Hun- and Turkic-origin communities, the event aims to preserve their shared ancestry and cultural heritage.
The first Turkic-Hun Kurultai was held in Kazakhstan in 2007. The large-scale gatherings later held in Hungary became a tradition.
