Turkey stable

Turkey is a key factor for stability and peace in the Balkans, participants of International Balkans Congress agreed.

The International Balkans Congress, started Thursday at Tekirdağ's Namık Kemal University. Nearly 50 academics from 14 nations, as well as Turkey's State Minister Mustafa Said Yazıcıoğlu and Mahir Yağcılar, the environment minister of newly independent Kosovo, gathered in Tekirdağ to talk about current problems in the region.

Süleyman Şensoy from the Turkish Asian Center for Strategic Studies, one of the organizers of the congress, noted that the Balkans with its complex ethnic and religious structure is of crucial importance to the world.

"But this ethnic and religious structure sometimes turns into an advantage, and sometimes into a disadvantage," he said. "When one nation tries to rule another nation or nations, disaster happens. And we have witnessed such events in the region."

"For Turkey, the Balkans is of military, economic and social security importance," he told the TDN. "It is a region of many alternatives, but there are also threats emanating from this quality. It is a conflict arena for major powers. Thus, it is vulnerable to chaos and manipulations."

With the meeting, Turkey delivered three messages to the region, he said: "Turkey wants to be close to the entire Balkans, not just its neighbors. Turkey wants to handle the problems in the region with a ‘realpolitik' approach, not an ethnic or religious one. Also, Turkey seeks strong alliances of cooperation and dialogue with the Balkan states. Similar to its role in the Middle East, Turkey wants to get involved in solving the region's problems."

"We have found a chance to discuss and specify the Balkan identity," Dr. Nikolay Vukov from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences told the Turkish Daily News. "Here, participants can discuss problems with the Balkan identity. It is an opportunity for us to meet academics who are working on these ideas."

"Turkey, as a Balkan nation, is a key factor for stability and peace in the region. It has diverse historical and cultural heritage and traditions" he said.



Change in balances:

Borka Tomic, project manager of the Serbian Institute for Public Diplomacy, meanwhile, highlighted the significance of the congress in terms of the "European vision" for the Balkans. "Nowadays, the Balkans is witnessing a change in balances," she told the TDN. "For example, Kosovo became an independent state, and this goes against international law and also the resolutions of the United Nations and decisions of the European Union."

Kosovo's independence shows the region "faces short- and long-term problems," she said.

Tomic summarized the short-term challenges in the Balkans as: Economic growth, social construction and respect for international law.

"I believe in the importance of regional cooperation. Because we have common historical, cultural and social backgrounds," she said. "This congress, hosted by Turkey, raises our awareness of the country. Also for Turkey it is a good chance to create an EU perspective."