President Ersin Tatar participates in the opening ceremony of Dr. Suat Günsel Mosque in Lefkoşa
“Turkish Cypriot People will continue their existence with faith and love for humanity”
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President Ersin Tatar participated in the opening ceremony of the Dr. Suat Günsel Mosque – described as being one of the few unique mosques that exist in the Islamic and Turkic World - which has taken its place as the largest Islamic place of worship on the Island of Cyprus.
The opening, which was held at the Near East University campus in Lefkoşa on Thursday, January 11, coincided with the “Night of Wishes” (Regaip Kandili) – which marks the start of the three months to the Holy month of Ramadan.
Alongside TRNC officials, the ceremony was attended by the Vice President of the Republic of Türkiye, Cevdet Yılmaz and numerous ambassadors of Islamic countries.
Addressing the ceremony, President Tatar stated: “The Island of Cyprus has important and deep-rooted history of the Islamic faith. The aunt of our beloved Prophet Muhammed (pbuh), as well as other companions, who had come to the Island to spread the Islamic faith, are buried here. There are many mosques built by the Ottoman Empire on the Island and about 200 mosques and Masjids within the TRNC.”
Commending the Günsel family for constructing the “biggest mosque in Cyprus,” President Tatar said that the structure, which has 27 domes and six minarets, has a capacity for 10,000 worshippers at any one time.
Paying tribute to the work of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, President Tatar pointed out that “this technical committee is continuing its work with the objective of protecting cultural heritage sites around the Island”.
“We place great importance on the Islamic Call to Prayer (Azan) being heard across the Island of Cyprus, including at the Hala Sultan Mosque and the Bayraktar and Köprülü mosques that are all located in South Cyprus,” President Tatar said. “These important Islamic places of worship cannot be forgotten and are important symbols of our religion and existence,” he added.
Emphasising that “the Turkish Cypriot People are determined to continue their existence in Cyprus with their faith and love of humanity,” President Tatar stated: “As a separate People – the Turkish Cypriot People have equal inherent rights in Cyprus and we are continuing to put forward our position for a settlement in Cyprus that is based on two States, the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot Side. This position is fully supported by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of the Republic of Türkiye.”
Stressing that the Turkish Cypriot People have defended their core values, identity, culture and traditions alongside their faith with the support of Motherland Türkiye, President Tatar said: “The Island of Cyprus has been blessed with yet another important Islamic structure, one more mark sealed with the construction of the Dr. Suat Günsel Mosque. We are giving an important message from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to the international community. We are here, we exist, and we have the same self-determination rights as that of our neighbours, the Greek Cypriot People.”
Pointing out that “there have been arduous efforts and hard work by many Turkish Cypriot People from different areas who have contributed to the realisation of the construction of Dr. Suat Günsel Mosque,” President Tatar congratulated "sincerely the architects, engineers, stonemasons and employees involved in this fantastic project", adding that the mosque has been built using the traditional “white stone” that is attributed to the Island of Cyprus.
President Tatar thanked Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and the ambassadors and diplomats of other countries for attending the opening ceremony and expressed his gratitude to the Günsel family and to Near East family for constructing such a beautiful structure.