The Alevkayası Yayla (Highland) Festival, organised annually by the Black Sea Cultural Association, was held on Sunday.
Acting President and Speaker of the Republic’s Assembly, Zorlu Töre, who attended the festival, expressed his pride of being part of the great Turkish nation and his commitment to protecting the rights and interests of the TRNC and Türkiye.
The 28th Alevkayası Yayla Festival, organized annually by the Black Sea Cultural Association took place on Sunday.
In addition to the “Formula Laz” races with wooden carts and the offering of Akçaabat meatballs, the festival featured performances by artists from Northern Cyprus and Trabzon, attracting great interest from the public.
The festival was attended by the Acting President and Speaker of Parliament Zorlu Töre, the Turkish Ambassador to Lefkoşa Metin Feyzioğlu, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth, and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu, the Mayor of Ortahisar in Trabzon Türkiye, Ahmet Metin Genç, the Mayor of İskele Hasan Sadıkoğlu, and the public.
The “Formula Laz Cyprus” event, where handcrafted wooden vehicles raced, created great excitement. The performances of the Black Sea folklore groups were also watched with great interest.
Speaking at the opening of the festival, Murat Civelek, President of the Black Sea Cultural Association in Northern Cyprus, said their goal was to promote and preserve Black Sea culture.
He emphasized that the people of the Black Sea consider every place they go as their homeland, and Northern Cyprus is one of the finest examples of this.
Ahmet Metin Genç, Mayor of Ortahisar, Trabzon, remembered and paid tribute to those who have worked to make Northern Cyprus a Turkish homeland.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth, and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu also said that festivals and events organized nationwide are of great importance in preserving and passing down culture in the TRNC.
Ataoğlu emphasized the importance of citizens from the Black Sea, an important part of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, preserving and living their own cultures.
He also mentioned that there were flights between Ercan and Trabzon twice a week, stating that the necessary demand should be shown for the continuation of these flights.
The Turkish Ambassador to Lefkoşa Metin Feyzioğlu, brought greetings from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to everyone attending the festival and expressed great joy at being able to participate. Ambassador Feyzioğlu emphasized that the people of the Black Sea are the spearhead of the national struggle and played important roles in defending their homeland.
Acting President and Parliamentary Speaker Zorlu Töre for his part said, “With the pride of being a member of the great Turkish nation, we will protect the lands we possess and continue to work steadfastly in the service of the Turkish people.”