As part of the 21 December Turkish Education Day celebrations, the “Turkish Language and Culture in the Balkans” symposium was held in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia.
The symposium, organized by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the Union of Macedonian Turkish Non-Governmental Organizations (MATÜSITEB) under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, was attended by Turkey’s Ambassador to Skopje Fatih Ulusoy, TIKA Vice President Mahmut Çevik, representatives of Turkish political parties in the country, institutions and their organizations and many guests attended.
Speaking at the opening of the symposium, Ambassador Ulusoy pointed out that the transfer of knowledge and experience about the efforts to preserve and sustain the Turkish language and culture in the Balkans is extremely important.
Ulusoy said, “We can preserve our identity, tradition and culture only when we learn and teach our language properly.” He thanked everyone who contributed to the organization of the symposium.
Emphasizing that Turcology departments in the Balkans contribute to the correct recognition of the Turkish language, culture and literature, Ulusoy said, “We support these studies as much as we can. We will definitely continue our work to ensure that our language and culture continue to live in these geographies.” he said.
“Cultural elements transferred from generation to generation testify to the depth of closeness between the Balkans and Türkiye.”
TİKA Vice President Çevik reminded that the relations of the Turks with the Balkans have been seen since the early Middle Ages, and said that the ongoing relations with the Sarı Saltuk and Turkmen tribes after the Mongol invasion of the Avars, Pechenegs and Cumans began to become permanent during the Ottoman period.
Stating that the interactions and relations that lasted in the 20th century are still alive today, Çevik said, “The cultural elements transferred from generation to generation testify to the depth of closeness between the Balkans and Turkey. Turkish language and Turkish culture as a whole, Turkish art and literature have an impact on the lifestyles, traditions and customs of all peoples in the Balkans.” “First of all, I would like to emphasize that it affects our customs.” he said.
MATÜSİTEB President Tahsin İbrahim said that preserving the existence of Turkish in the Balkans and making Turkish a part of daily life and passing it on to future generations requires great dedication, determination and love.
The first session of the symposium, which consisted of two sessions, was moderated by former AK Party Deputy Prof. Dr. Mustafa İsen moderated the second session with the Head of Department of Turkish Language and Literature at the University of Pristina, Prof. Dr. Ergin Jable did it.
During the sessions, topics such as the history, development and importance of Turkish language and culture in the Balkans were discussed.
