Erdogan’s trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Croatia passed in a positive atmosphere. Whoever goes to the Balkans from Turkey is welcomed by the Turks there. We have experienced this on many trips in the past.
As a result, it is good to have the highest level of visits from Turkey to three countries that were in big fights with each other in the early 1990s. Turkey, especially in the Bosnia-Herzegovina civil war between 1992-96, prioritized diplomacy and international law, and played an important role in bringing peace after great suffering.
In those years, the Balkan Countries Heads of State Summit covering the whole region was imagined and the first one was realized. Such meetings had started in the geographies around us, from the Black Sea to Central Asia, and created excitement. The AKP government either underestimated them or established other parallels within the framework of party policies.
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Erdogan, Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Kovaci Cemetery in Sarajevo “wise king” titled founding leader Aliya Izetbegovicvisited his grave. When Izetbegovic was freed after serving six years in prison, his fans wanted him to take revenge. When he did not accept this, despite everything, he made an effort to build inner peace, and his supporters broke down. Izetbegovic’s answer to them is famous:
“If we are also oppressors, there will be no point in fighting against oppression!”
The hot civil war that started after the end of the cold war in the Balkans brought so much suffering… For example, in the four-year civil war in Sarajevo, where 3 million people lived, 1 million people left the city, 250 thousand people lost their lives, 50 thousand women were raped. . When I went to Sarajevo in 1997, the city’s newest structures were cemeteries. Shining tombstones, fresh flowers, the average age is 20 based on the dates of birth and death.
Croats and Bosniaks were fighting against the Serbs in Sarajevo, while in the city of Mostar, the Serbs and Bosniaks were against the Croats.
In those year’s prof. Dr. Ahmet Taner Kislali He often emphasized the following:
“If you highlight the differences in a country, Tito’s Yugoslavia, if you highlight the common denominators Ataturk’You will become the Turkey of fame…”
AKP’s implementation in Syria, Egypt and Libya “Do not take sides within the country” We do not want to bring to mind what would have happened if the policy had come to the fore in the Balkans in those years!
Hopefully, Erdogan saw how history is preserved in Sarajevo, Belgrade and Zagreb. “Ottoman Passed From This World” The Balkans is one of the places where you will use the word most frequently. It is difficult to take a photo of Ulucami from 300 meters away in Bursa. Concrete is under siege. You can take a photo of the Bayraklı Mosque in Belgrade more easily.
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Erdogan will go to Uzbekistan next week after his Balkan tour. Unless there is a last minute change, he will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting here. “Putin’special guest of Erdogan, in the status of a Russian leader, gave his last thanks in Serbia. At a joint press conference with Serbian President Vucic, he said:
“I say to those who underestimate Russia, you are doing it wrong. Russia is not a country to be taken lightly!”
The SCO is the largest regional organization in the world, considering population and geographical size.
We emphasize when necessary; Turkey is neighbor with the world! For this reason, there is another country that will be affected differently by every step it takes.
Erdogan seems to be looking for different directions and supports in the East against the West’s attitude towards him.
When we look from history to today, when we list the countries that our citizens still want to go to, we see that in the import-export balance, Turkey’s direction is always towards the West. However, this should not mean neglecting other geographies. Good dialogue with other geographies makes us stronger in the West.