On May 19, 2016, the International Scientific Conference on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the participation of Turkish troops in the fighting of World War I in Galicia took place. Lviv University was its co-organizer.
The Conference was attended by Head of the Lviv Regional State Administration Oleg Synyutko, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in Ukraine Yonet Gian Tezel, scientists of Lviv University and the Center for Ukrainian Military Traditions and Patriotic Education of NRI of Ukrainian Studies of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
In his speech, the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey Yonet Gian Tezel stressed that Ukrainian-Turkish relations are now the best in the history of both nations. The Ambassador said that numerous examples of not only the confrontation but also the cooperation between Ukraine and Turkey can be found in the past. One example of such cooperation was participation of XV-Corps of Turkish army in the warfare of 1916-1917 in Galicia, which defended the Ukrainian lands from the Russian invasion together with units of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen.
The report by Associate Professor of Modern and Contemporary History of Foreign Countries Andriy Kozytskyi highlighted the detailed history of the military way of Turkish XV-Corps in Galicia.
In his speech, the scholar emphasized that Turkey was the first country in the world, which officially voted in favor of creating an independent Ukrainian state on November 24, 1914. Another important point of attention of Andriy Kozytskyi were exceptionally friendly relations not only between the Turkish military in Galicia and the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen, but peaceful attitude to Ukrainian civilians.
Of a special interest for the participants of the conference were the reports by Colonel Mykhaylo Slobodyanyuk dedicated to military and strategic aspects of the participation of the Turkish military in the fighting in Galicia and by the Deputy Editor of Lviv Military Anthology the “Citadel” Olexandr Dyedyk on historical parallels of Ukrainian-Ottoman military cooperation in XVII and XX centuries.
Summing up the conference, the Dean of the Faculty of History of the University, the moderator of the event, PhD Roman Shust said that Lviv is not only rich in traditions of positive contacts with Turkey, but also has a great potential for future cooperation.