August 6, 2010
Approximately 60 Greeks are expected to visit Guzelyurt,
Aksaray during a festival on August 7th -8th, which
symbolises Turkish & Greek brotherhood. This is The
Turkish-Greek Friendship Culture Festival. The goal is to
bring the grandchildren of displaced Turks and Greeks of
the 1923 population exchange between the two nations back
togethor.
The mayor of the Turkish city said that the Greeks who
moved to Thessaloniki have taken the culture of Guzelyurt
to their new settlement, continue to speak Turkish and
have passed down the longing of their former nation to
their descendants.
The Greek guests are expected to seize the opportunity to find traces of their ancestors and visit their homes. They will share the memories of the population exchange with the current inhabitants of Guzelyurt. This is the 4th year that the festival is taking place. Some guests even have the opportunity to stay a few days in the former homes of their grandparents.
The “Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations” was signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on January 30, 1923 by the Greek and Turkish governments. The exchange was approximately a total of 2 million people.
