We were charmed by the picturesque nature, wonderful sea, beautiful scenery, and great historical monuments of ancient Cyprus as well as by the hospitality, sincerity and kindness of its people.
People in Cyprus have a deep and keen interest in cartoon genre, beginning from ordinary citizens till the officials. We were warmly received by the President of Cyprus Republic Mr. Mehmet Ali Talat. An interesting and lively conversation at dinner table, President’s friendly and positive attitude towards us was the most pleasant memories.
There is a great school of cartoonists in this country. Such professional cartoonists of Cyprus as Huseyn Cakmak, Arif Albayrag, Musa Kayra, Mustafa Tozaki and others make world cartoon-lovers admire their wonderful works. It is also an interesting fact that a cartoonist Arif Albayrag is, at the same time, a deputy of National Assembly.
All cartoonists participated in the Festival were presented with Special Awards made of silver and also Memorial Awards, and three winners of the Contest were announced.
I am twice more thankful to the organizers of this Festival for an opportunity of getting acquainted with famous and great cartoonists, the works of whom I admired. I felt honored and happy to meet and have a talk with such wonderful masters of cartoon genre as Mikhail Zlatkovsky from Russia, Atilla Ozer from Turkey, Julian Pena Pai from Rumania, Vladimir Kazanevsky from the Ukraine, Izel Rozental from Turkey and others who were not only professional cartoonists, but also very interesting and kind people. Such festivals, contests and exhibitions prove that cartoon is the bridge between peoples and countries.
It was very pleasant for me to meet my dear colleagues Cristian Topan from Rumania, Ismail Kar from Turkey, Dalponte Paolo from Italy, Mustafa Tozaki and Musa Kayra from Cyprus and other professional cartoonists. All these cartoonists have their own places in the world cartoon art, their own role in the development of cartoon genre, and their works are known and loved by every cartoon-lover in the world.
Well-known cartoonist Jordan Pop Illiev from Macedonia, who has a rich sense of humour and sincere heart, can be called as a peace messenger. It is a big happiness that there are such people among us.
We have a need for friendly relations, co-operations and creations that would be far from intrigues in our really complicated life. Only with such relations and all together we can gain great achievements in the development of cartoon genre.
Today any careless cartooning can cause the anger of millions of people and create the abyss between peoples or religions. That’s why, each cartoonist is required to be extremely tactful and politically competent, have considerable inner culture and ability to respect others’ opinions and beliefs. I’m sure that such important contests and festivals contribute to creation and strengthening of relations and friendship among peoples and countries.
By the invitation of our dear friend and colleague Huseyn Cakmak (President of the Cartoonists’ Union of Cyprus), 13 cartoonists from 8 countries were invited to the “1st International “Aysergi-Pulya” Cartoonists Meeting 2008-Cyprus” held by Cyprus Turkish Republic.
An International Cartoon Contest was held within the framework of the Festival, and famous cartoonists of the world had an opportunity to acquaint Cyprus audience with their wonderful works.
I am deeply grateful to my friend H.Cakmak and other organizers of the Festival for having a very good and unforgettable time in Cyprus.
I wish the XXI century be the century of cartoon contests, sport competitions, and music festivals. The “1st International “Aysergi-Pulya” Cartoonists Meeting 2008-Cyprus” Festival” held by Cyprus Turkish Republic is one of the most important and necessary steps in this direction.