The “International Balkan Symposium” was organized in cooperation with Ümraniye Municipality, International Development and Cooperation Association (UKID) and Istanbul Ticaret University. The main theme of the symposium was ‘Together in Peace – To the Future’.
Ümraniye Municipality, International Development and Cooperation Association and Istanbul Ticaret University came together to hold the International Balkan Symposium. An art exhibition themed “18 December International Migrants” was held within the scope of the Symposium. The first day of the three-day symposium was held face-to-face, whereas the second and third days were held online.
In the first session of the symposium, Chairman of the UKID Advisory Board Prof. Dr. Musa Taşdelen, Former Member of the Parliament Dr. Hüseyin Kansu, Former Prime Ministry Advisor Mr. Davut Nuriler, Former Member of the Parliament Mr. Süleyman Gündüz and Member of the IHH (Humanitarian Relief Foundation) Board of Trustees Mr. Osman Atalay delivered speeches.
Making a speech at the opening of the symposium, Istanbul Ticaret University Vice-Rector Ms. Elçin Aykaç Alp stated that the theme of the Symposium, that is, “Together in Peace – To the Future”, was not a randomly chosen topic. She said that the Balkans could not be imagined without Turkey considering the historical roots of the Balkans, and that Turkey could not be imagined without the Balkans considering that Turkey is the historical heir of the Ottoman Empire, which ruled that geography for 550 years.
Prof. Dr. Alp has said:
“Turks and Muslims still living in the Balkans are bound to Turkey by kinship. A change in Balkans affects Turkey, and a change in Turkey affects the Balkans. For this reason, the Balkans should be on the agenda of the media, academia and most importantly the public in Turkey. As Istanbul Ticaret University, we organized this symposium together with Ümraniye Municipality and UKID in order to keep the Balkans on the agenda. Academicians and researchers will present papers that will discuss the Balkans from very different perspectives for three days. We hope that this symposium will be instrumental in peace and tranquility in the Balkans and lead to new studies on the region.”
SYMPOSIUM WILL FACILITATE THE EMERGENCE OF BRIGHT IDEAS
Stating that the Balkans have an important place in the geography of Turkey, President of the Symposium Mr. İsmet Yıldırım said, “The order of the world was disrupted when Ottomans withdrew from the Balkan geography. That’s why, no matter how much we talk about the Balkans, how many symposiums we organize, the more research are carried out and the more ideas are developed, the more useful it would become. Therefore, I think that both our young people, academicians and humanity will benefit from this Symposium. On this occasion, I would like to thank the organizations that contributed to our Symposium. I hope that very good ideas will emerge at the Symposium and I think the importance of the Balkans will be better understood.”
