“4th International Symposium on Turkish Teaching and Turcology in the Balkans”, organized by the Turkish Maarif Foundation and hosted by Konya Metropolitan Municipality, has started.
Speaking at the opening of the symposium held at Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stone Building Culture and Arts, New York Tirana University Rector Prof. Dr. Ali Güneş stated that people had to leave their countries for various reasons.
Necmettin Erbakan University Rector Prof. Dr. Cem Zorlu also said that, as a university, they attach great importance to their activities abroad due to the sensitivity coming from education.
“We operate in 64 countries”
Turkish Maarif Foundation President Mahmut Mustafa Özdil said that, as an institution, they set out to share Türkiye’s rich experience in the field of education with the world and to enrich it while doing so. Stating that they operate in 64 countries as a foundation, Özdil said, “I can say that there is no geography in which we are not active. Konya is a very fertile ground for the ‘Migration and Traces of Migration’ panel. It is a city that offers very important opportunities in terms of the history of the Balkans and Türkiye’s history in the Balkans. When the relationship between migration and language is discussed, issues that are usually discussed together such as the difficulties experienced by immigrants, the threats they face in preserving their language, the change of language… However, our issue is an issue that shows that this issue should not be discussed only with a negative agenda. I would like to thank all my colleagues who contributed to the organization of this meeting, our academic friends who attended the meeting, Konya Metropolitan Municipality, our universities in Konya, the Social Innovation Agency, and all my friends who contributed to this meeting.”
“With KOMEK, we are trying to bring the science, wisdom and art tradition of Anatolia to the Balkans”
Konya Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Mayor Mustafa Uzbaş stated that interest in Turkish and Turkish culture has increased rapidly with the vision of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Türkiye’s increasing political, economic and human power in recent years. Stating that, as Konya Metropolitan Municipality, they continue to strengthen their ties with KOMEK courses that have been operating in the Balkans since 2007, Uzbaş said, “To date, we have tried to bring the science, wisdom and art tradition of Anatolia to the Balkans by providing education opportunities to nearly 15 thousand people. As of 2025, we continue our education in our courses in Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we are promoting Turkish as a language of love.” “We are trying to contribute to its survival,” he said.
Later, in the session of the panel titled “Traces of Migration in the Balkans”, Deputy Chairman of the Turkish Maarif Foundation Prof. Dr. Ahmet Emre Bilgili, writer and academician Prof. Dr. Mustafa İsen, poet and writer Leyla Şerif Emin and journalist and writer Mehmet Türker spoke.
The symposium, which will last until November 7 with the theme “Migration and Traces of Migration in the Balkans”, includes 10 countries, including Turkey, Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Kosovo, Macedonia, Mali, Romania and Serbia. – KONYA
