Istanbul — Turkish citizens celebrated the appointment of “Ottoman grandson” Boris Johnson as the new British Prime Minister on Wednesday, with all the politicians and citizens boasting about the return of Turkish legacy in Britain who can strengthen ties between Turkey and Europe.
Johnson is the great-grandson of the last Ottoman Empire’s interior minister, Ali Kemal, whose house still stands in Turkey’s Kelfat Belidiyesi village of Cankiri north-east Ankara. He was killed during Turkey’s war of independence by nationalists, but he married a British woman whose son is Johnson’s grand-father.
“Ottoman grandson becomes prime minister,” read a front-page headline of the opposition newspaper Sozcu.
In the final days of Ottoman empire, Kemal was captured and lynched by nationalists fighting to establish the Turkish state.
Erdogan congratulated Johnson on Twitter, adding that ties between Turkey and the United Kingdom were set to improve.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also congratulated him, sharing a video of Turkish reporters asking Johnson about his roots in Cankiri during a 2016 visit to Ankara.
Kelfat villagers are expressed excitement that it’s honor for their village for someone among them became Prime Minister of Britain.
