Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Burhanettin Duran stated that Turkey’s power in terms of economic, political, military and security elements is increasing in Europe, the Balkans, North Africa, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Black Sea and that it should be seen and considered in a more important place in the future of Europe.
Duran participated in the “Dialogue for the Future” panel held on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the reconstruction of the Mostar Bridge.
Duran, who was a speaker at the session titled “Building Bridges Between the Past, Present and Future for Europe”, made a presentation here.
Speaking to reporters after the panel, Duran said that the Mostar Bridge had great meaning and that more ambitious titles should be chosen for the anniversaries of the bridge’s construction.
Stating that the Mostar Bridge does not only bring cultures together, Duran said, “The Mostar Bridge represents the coexistence of different cultures, religions, nations and ethnicities of Europe and the Balkans. The time it was built was the 16th century, the Ottoman period, and it comes from a history that managed to keep such different cultures together at that time. When we look at Mostar again, we want to see unity and living together in the future, not the conflict in Europe’s past. Turkey also gave great support to the reconstruction of this bridge.”
Duran noted that Turkey has a major role not only in rebuilding the bridge but also in designing the future of the Balkans.
Stating that the European Union (EU) is one of the important institutions in the stability of the Balkans, Duran made the following assessments:
“I think the reason why the EU has been slow to accept Turkey as a member is a lack of strategic vision and leadership. I think that Turkey, a significant power in the Balkans, Europe, North Africa, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Black Sea, and a country whose economic, political, military and security elements are increasing in power, should be seen and considered in a more important place in the future of Europe. Unfortunately, this is expected to be a slow process, but it has been a long time. I think that the new world is a great challenge for Europe, the war in Ukraine and the massacres in Gaza have shown this. We cannot know correctly today what conflicts and uncertainties the world will face in the future.”
Duran said that they talked about Mostar in the panel, but he thought the Mostar Bridge deserved more than dialogue, and that coexistence, integration and cooperation were important.
Bosnian and Herzegovinian Foreign Minister Elmedin Konakovic and Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman also participated as speakers in the same panel.
At the end of the program, Duran signed a joint declaration titled “Mostarska 2024.” Duran also met with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Deputy Foreign Minister Josip Brkic before the panel, where relations between the two countries were discussed.
On the other hand, Director General of the Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA) Prof. Mahmud Erol Kılıç also made a presentation at another panel held simultaneously.
