Category: Balkans

The rise of Turkey in the Balkans

From economics to culture, many see the country taking on the role of a new regional power

By Misko Taleski for Southeast European Times in Skopje — 11/07/11

Turkey has played a moderator role between Serbia and the tripartite BiH presidency. [Reuters]

Over the past decade, Turkey has carried out a multi-dimensional and multi-regional foreign policy. With its EU membership prospects in limbo, the country has not only looked to the east, but also towards its “near abroad” in the Balkans.

EU regional player Greece’s increasing social-financial problems provide ample room for Turkey — whose economy now ranks twelfth in the world, with a GNP of $10,000 per person — to take control of the regional rudder.

“After Yugoslavia’s disintegration, Turkey’s strategic interest returned to the Balkans, also a former Ottoman territory. This time around, the influence is economic and cultural but it soon will become geopolitical,” military-political analyst Petar Shkrbina told SETimes. “Erdogan knows that Europe needs Turkey and not the other way around. The main networks of gas and oil pipelines will go through Turkey.”

The Balkan countries, primarily Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), but increasingly Serbia as well, have achieved significant political co-operation with Ankara. In the past several years, the economic ties have strengthened as Turkish investors eye the opportunity to secure a foothold in the Balkans marketplace.

Analysts are unanimous that the pan-European corridor No. 10, which will connect the Balkan countries with the rest of Europe, will command the economic attention of Turkey. The corridor’s left wing will secure a transportation connection between Turkey and the Balkans, and Turkey and the EU.

Though Turkey is keen to develop bonds with Muslim communities in the Balkans, it says it aims to engage all ethnicities and religions in an effort to increase stability in its neighbourhood.

“Turkey has no imperialist ambitions but is trying to help the neighbouring countries as it can,” Turkish Ambassador to Serbia Ali Riza Colak said, answering charges that Ankara is interfering in Serbia’s internal affairs after a senior military delegation visited Novi Pazar, in Serbia’s Muslim-dominated Rashka (or Sandzak) region.

Rashka remains a source of tension in Ankara-Belgrade relations because the Serbs widely believe local Muslim leaders try to obtain autonomy with the help of Turkey, and many Muslims there identify with BiH.

Ataturk museum in Bitola, Macedonia. [Mishko Taleski/SETimes]

In response, Ambassador Riza Colak says “Sandzak is the bridge for co-operation between the two countries, and Belgrade must understand the sensitivity of the people in this region.”

Turkey-BiH relations are particularly important for the region. Erdogan’s election victory statement last month, in which he said his AKP’s victory would benefit Sarajevo as much as it would Istanbul, triggered harsh reactions in Republika Srpska.

The Serb member of BiH’s tri-member presidency, Nebojsha Radmanovic, said that such statements would cause political problems between BiH’s two entities and could lead to new divisions among the three constituent peoples.

“While Bosniak authorities in Sarajevo see a positive effect from Turkey’s role in BiH, Serbian politicians there are reserved and do not accept any political role by Ankara in the Balkans,” Shkrbina tells SETimes.

“Erdogan’s open ambitions to spread the ‘Green Diagonal’ [spread of Islamic influence through a set of connected countries with Muslim populations] in this space have their own limits. Neither the illegal government of the Muslim-Croat federation will help him to do that nor the political pressures on Croats in central Bosnia,” RS Vice President Emil Vlajki said.

Despite any lingering Serbian nationalist suspicion, Turkey has been playing a constructive moderator role by bringing together the presidents of BiH and Serbia to encourage a policy of dialogue and regional security.

The most recent example is the July 6th visit of Serbian President Tadic to Sarajevo, which was secured at a summit among all parties in Istanbul last April. Serbia now pledges to guarantee BiH’s integrity and wants to close all open questions.

Turkey has also expressed its desire for BiH and Serbia to enter the Euro-Atlantic community through membership in the EU and NATO.

Although several political issues remain an obstacle to better relations, both Ankara and Belgrade aim to smooth over political differences through greater economic co-operation and interdependence.

For example, Belgrade offered Turkish Airlines a meeting in July to chart a strategic co-operation plan to address long-standing problems facing JAT Airways. Analysts expect the final, positive outcome to be the forming of a joint national airline.

In December 2010, Turkish Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul and Bosnian counterpart Selmo Cikotic met in Sarajevo to discuss business co-operation in the military industries. [Reuters]

Turkish economic activity extends throughout the region. The Turkish company TAV has already invested 200m euro in rebuilding Macedonia’s airports. Since March 1st, the Skopje and Ohrid airports are under TAV control for the next 20 years. TAV’s executives view Macedonia as a Southeast European hub and have announced they will build a new airport in eastern Macedonia.

In addition, Turkey’s Shishe Dzam company has announced its interest in a strategic investment of 150m euro in two factories in Macedonia to produce glass.

Politically, Turkey will continue to be Macedonia’s steadfast supporter in Euro-Atlantic integration, advocating membership under Macedonia’s name despite the longstanding dispute with Greece.

But the relations have a deeper cultural and historical context in Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, who spent his youth in Macedonia and was educated at an Ottoman military school in Bitola, adding an emotional dimension to how Ankara — and the Turkish people — view Macedonia.

A joint celebration of Ataturk’s life and achievement is now held annually in Bitola. Such events contribute to increased tourism in both directions. Turkey’s summer destinations and Macedonia’s mountain and nature potential are attractive to both peoples, and there has been a large increase in tourist agency activity in the past decade.

An important element of Turkey’s “soft power” is the increasing number of soap operas and other TV shows that have conquered audiences throughout the Balkans. In virtually every Balkan state, Turkish shows are breaking records, as well as the long-held prejudice against Islam.

“They are very professionally produced, and they promote not luxury and glamour, but also traditional Islamic customs during marriage and funerals. The series are the cheapest but most effective approach to spread Turkish influence in the region,” Shkrbina said.

This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.

July 12, 2011
Turkey and Kosovo build educational ties

Turkey funds schools in Kosovo, and Kosovo students are flocking to Turkish universities.

By Muhamet Brajshori for Southeast European Time in Pristina — 28/6/2011

”]With help from Turkey, the city of Lipjan in Kosovo is becoming an important educational centre. In 2000, Turkish investors opened the Mehmet Akif College, the first private school built after the armed conflict in Kosovo. Covering kindergarten through 12th grade, it provides instruction in Albanian, Turkish, and English, and also has campuses in Prizren and Gjakova.

The Turkish government also plans to open a university in Lipjan, pledging to invest more than 100m euros in its construction. The municipality has already earmarked 400 acres for what the mayor says will be the most advanced university in the region.

As projects such as these demonstrate, Turkey and Kosovo have developed a strong relationship in the educational sector. Not only is Turkey involved in building up Kosovo’s educational infrastructure, but many young people from Kosovo are going to Turkey for their university education.

Privately funded scholarships, as well as those provided by the Turkish government, have made this possible for a growing number of students. Cultural affinities between the two countries also provide comfort for students looking for a home away from home.

Compared to their European and US counterparts, Turkish universities are much more affordable, but still offer a quality education. According to the Kosovo Embassy in Ankara, approximately 1,000 Kosovo students are currently enrolled in Turkish institutions of higher education.

Dritero Bala, a medical student from Kosovo, considers studying in Turkey a positive investment in his life due to the high quality of education and the friendships he has made.

Many agree that Turkey’s welcoming atmosphere, as well as its shared culture and religion with Kosovo, make it an ideal place to study.

“It was easy to adapt to life in Turkey since I was born in Prizren, which has a large Turkish population and a rich history of Ottoman traditions,” says Bala. “Whenever I tell Turks that I am from Kosovo, they welcome me warmly with the response ‘bizim toprak’ (our land).”

Fellow medical student Blerim Miftiu, currently at the University of Istanbul, explains that her prior knowledge of Turkey, as well as the proximity between Istanbul and Kosovo, led her to choose to study there.

“Being an Albanian in Turkey is no different than being a Turk from Istanbul,” says Miftiu, adding that she “never felt like a stranger in Istanbul”.

Like many, however, she worries that the situation back home will make it difficult to find employment despite the high quality of schooling she has received.

“I will specialise in nine months and my plan is to go back to Kosovo. However, considering that nothing is changing there, I wonder whether I should stay. Hopefully I will be able to find a job in Kosovo which allows me to utilise the skills I acquired in Turkey,” Miftiu said.

Turkish Ambassador to Kosovo Songul Ozan says investment in Kosovo’s education system remains a pillar of bilateral relations.

Commentator Fatlum Sadiku agrees. “There is no doubt that every month Kosovo and Turkey have closer relations. Turkey is investing in tangible areas that improve the lives of citizens and prepare them for the future,” he said.

This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.

via Turkey and Kosovo build educational ties (SETimes.com).

June 30, 2011
More Turkish tourists attracted by Bosnia’s charming beauty

An increasingly large number of tourists from Turkey are visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina, a small, heart-shaped land in Eastern Europe located on the western Balkan Peninsula, which has long-been an attraction for international tourists with its natural beauties and treasures and glorious history as a country that has been home to many civilizations and cultures throughout history.

Tourists walk through the center of the old town of Mostar in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city of Mostar, with its old town and bridge originally built under the Ottoman Empire, attracts more and more Turkish tourists.

Bearing the scars of a war that lasted four years and ended in 1995, Bosnia started a process of rebuilding its cities and awakening its citizens from the tragic chapter in the county’s history. After conflict and numerous rulers, Bosnia emerged as a country marked by different cultures and religions, which remains evident even today.

The Ottoman traces in Bosnian history can be seen all over, which is an attraction for the rising number of Turkish tourists, who represent 6.6 percent of the total number of international arrivals coming into Bosnia and Herzegovina annually.

Last year the Institute for Tourism in Zagreb conducted a study concerning the spending behavior of tourists in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It showed that 41 percent of tourists from Turkey came to Sarajevo for cultural and heritage tourism. Sarajevo is a city rich in historically significant traits. Walking down the old street of Ferhadija and towards the newly renovated BBI center, a shopping mall in the city, there are evident remains of many different civilizations.

Starting from Bascarsija, the Sebilj and the famous Gazi Husrev Beg Mosque, the Ottoman spirit remains within the walls of these ancient structures, which are still preserved today. Passing the cathedral and the eternal flame, Austro-Hungarian architecture and scenic beauty adorn the streets. Finally, a contemporary monument dedicated to the children who lost their lives in the Bosnian war is located in the park that hosts a fountain.

Elsewhere across Bosnia and Herzegovina, ruins of castles and towers are spread out throughout numerous cities such as Zenica, Travnik and Maglaj. Another major attraction is the country’s many rivers. Its abundance of fast flowing, clear, cool waters make for an ideal vacation spot for adrenalin-infused activities. Rivers such as the Neretva and the Buna are hosts to some of Europe’s most challenging white water rafting. Currently, the top destinations for tourists pouring in from Turkey are Mostar, Travnik, Visegrad, Bihac, Stolac, Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Pocitelj. Last year Fidan Tours Travel Agency bought and restored the tekke, a dervish lodge, located on the Buna River spring near Blagaj. The natural and architectural ensemble has been preserved and is now open to tourists and visitors to put on their list of activities and things to see when in Bosnia.

According to Fidan Tours, rafting is one of the main activity attractions for Turks. Other outdoor activities include mountain climbing and hiking.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s numerous mountains and ski resorts offer Olympic quality slopes for winter sports. After all, Sarajevo is remembered as the host of the 1984 Winter Olympic Games. The region has a good consistent amount of snowfall during the winter months, and Sarajevo’s Mount Bjelasnica and Jahorina have a long history of tourists visiting from around the world.

Turkish people also prefer Bosnia and Herzegovina because of its familiar culture and friendly people. Described as warm, hospitable and lively, they act much like family towards guests and visitors. Data from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) show that the number of Turkish tourists visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina rose by 30 percent in 2010 over the previous year. The recent boom in Turkey’s economy has also contributed to tourism outside the country. Even through the global financial crisis, not a single Turkish bank sunk. The country is undergoing large economic development as one of the world’s fastest-growing emerging markets, and many citizens are taking capitalizing on it by traveling.

This is a major boost to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s feeble economy, and while many media outlets have written of the small country’s attraction, its government has not shown any significant support to the field of tourism. Instead, much of the country’s future in tourism lies in the hands of travel agencies and tourism organizations eager to present Bosnia and Herzegovina’s charm to the rest of the world.

June 19, 2011
Is the Balkans on the “right track” for railway reform?

Balkan Business News Correspondent – 15.06.2011

Train transit times between Ljubljana Slovenia and Istanbul Turkey can be reduced by half – a staggering 25 hours – if much-needed reforms in the rail sector are made, according to the new World Bank report, Railway Reform in South East Europe and Turkey: On the Right Track?, released in Brussels. “A test run of the Bosphorus Europe Express train in 2009 showed that a container train from Ljubljana, Slovenia can reach Istanbul, Turkey in 35 hours, but in practice often takes over 60 hours,” said Carolina Monsalve, Transport Economist in the World Bank’s Europe and Central Asia region, and author of the report. “This is a dramatic time difference with enormous economic consequences. The greater the efficiency of the rail sector, the larger the range of markets in which the rail companies across the region can successfully compete.” The much-needed reforms not only reduce transit times and help state rail companies reap economic benefits from enhanced coordination, management, and organization, they will also bring railways in South East Europe and Turkey closer to standards required by the European Union (EU), and enable healthy competition of the rail sector in order to improve rail freight and passenger services. The new Railway Reform in South East Europe and Turkey: On the Right Track? report revisits the railways of the region five years after the 2005 benchmark study, Railway Reform in the Western Balkans, to assess the progress made by the state rail in institutional reform, operating and financial performance, and integration. The report looks at the state of the railways in ten countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia, and Serbia, together with Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. The railways of South East Europe and Turkey experienced significant declines in traffic volumes in 2009. This reflected the impact of the international financial crisis unleashed in the last quarter of 2008 and its contractionary impact on the economies of the region and elsewhere. Lower traffic volumes translated in most cases into a serious deterioration of the financial performance of the state-owned railways. This brought home the costs of failing to implement essential reforms to improve the operational and financial performance of the sector when the economy was strong. The report stresses that there are three main reasons for prioritizing changes in the railway sector. Firstly, to ensure compliance with the requirements of relevant European Union (EU) directives. Secondly, countries can begin to reap the envisaged benefits of adopting this institutional framework. Finally, when competition is introduced, to enhance the ability of state rail incumbents to compete with new entrants without requiring increased levels of support from the state. With the exceptions of Bulgaria and Romania, which are already EU member states and the region’s lead reformers in the sector, all of the countries covered in the report aspire to join the EU. For candidate countries — such as Croatia, Turkey, or FYR Macedonia — there is particular urgency in complying with EU directives. For potential candidate countries, like Serbia and Albania, there is more time. However, precisely because those countries are further behind, the need to start accelerating the reform process now becomes even more compelling. In addition to improving their chances of being accepted into the EU, there are many intrinsic economic benefits for these countries to gain by meeting the institutional framework set by the EU. The main objectives behind the rail reforms introduced in Europe in the 1990s were to improve competition; create more and better integrated international freight rail services; improve the efficient use of infrastructure capacity; facilitate the creation of a single European rail space; and increase the share of rail compared to other transport modes. These objectives are as relevant today, if not more so, to the countries covered in this report as they are to the EU member states themselves. With the current corporate governance structure and existing operational performance, state rail incumbents will find it increasingly challenging to compete with new players when rail markets are opened and competition introduced. From a public policy perspective, a gradual set of reforms aimed at turning around the financial results of the state railways is less costly socially and politically, than dramatic layoffs at a time of acute crisis. In addition to implementing the required legislation, state rail companies need to change their cultures in order to become more business-oriented. They need to focus on meeting customer needs, and providing efficient, cost-effective services. In addition to providing efficient rail services to passengers, rail freight services are critical in the production, trade, and distribution of materials. Competitive transport services, in all transport modes, are a critical element in a country’s economic competitiveness. While rail reform has been largely moving on the right track, the report stresses that the pace of reforms needs to be stepped up. ”The main objective of this report is to serve as wake-up call of the urgent need for stepping up the reform process,” said Monsalve. “Those countries that aspire to be members of the EU need to understand that moving quickly on these reforms will greatly improve their chances of receiving a positive opinion from the EU regarding rail transport regulations, as well as boost their growth.” Monsalve emphasized that “Scarce public resources need to be used efficiently and effectively to finance the necessary upgrades in rail infrastructure and essential passenger services, not to prop up inefficient state railways weighed by excessive employee numbers and outdated management practices. The ultimate aim of the reforms is to improve railway services.” Source; WOrld Bank

June 16, 2011
Kosovo promises to co-operate with EU organ-trafficking probe

AFP/Pristina

Kosovo government yesterday expressed its commitment to cooperate with the EU in the probe into a Council of Europe report linking the prime minister and others to human organ-trafficking.

“The government of Kosovo has been ready from the beginning to co-operate and is co-operating … with international justice,” Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci told reporters.

“The sooner the truth is known, the easier it will be for Kosovo and its citizens,” he said, adding that his country would not allow itself to be tarnished by “someone’s insinuations”.

Meanwhile , the EU mission in Kosovo (EULEX) announced that it had charged a Turkish and an Israeli citizen over alleged illegal organ transplants at a private clinic in Kosovo.

The Turkish suspect, Yusuf Sonmez, is considered by the Kosovo media as the world’s most infamous organ trafficker.

He was even labeled by the press as the “Turkish Frankenstein” as he is barred from practicing medicine in Turkey.

The charges, which bring the total number of accused to nine, are related to the Medicus Clinic in Pristina, which was closed in November 2008 by Kosovo police after a months-long investigation.

Health Secretary Ilir Rrecaj, who is one of seven suspected locals in the case, was sacked by the health minister for having signed the licence.

The trafficking network came to light after a hint accidentally given by a young Turkish citizen, whose kidney had just been removed in the Medicus clinic for transplant to an Israeli citizen.

He collapsed at the Pristina airport waiting for a flight to Turkey on his way home and required medical assistance.

EULEX said on Friday that it had set up a task force to intensify its probe in the light of the findings of a Council of Europe report linking Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and other high-ranking members of his Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) to human organ trafficking.

The force, to include prosecutors and investigators, will reinforce a preliminary investigation launched by EULEX in late January.

The Council of Europe’s special rapporteur, senator Dick Marty, said in a report released in December that Thaci headed a Kosovo guerrilla faction that controlled secret detention centres where Kosovo Serbs and Albanians considered collaborators were held in Albania.

He reported allegations that human organ trafficking took place in three of these centres in the aftermath of the 1998-99 war between the Kosovo Liberation Army’s (KLA) guerrillas and Serbian forces.

Thaci, who was one of the most prominent leaders of the KLA, has hit back denying the allegations and vowing to sue Marty for libel.

via Gulf Times – Qatar’s top-selling English daily newspaper – Europe/World.

June 15, 2011
Bosnian musical ensemble celebrates İstanbul’s conquest

The choir’s founder and arts director, Mehmet Bajraktarevic, said he was very proud to be in İstanbul for such an important occasion.

The Sultan Mehmed Fatih Ensemble, a Sarajevo-based choir, was at İstanbul’s historic Aya İrini Museum on May 29 to mark the 558th anniversary of the conquest of İstanbul by the Ottomans in 1453, marking the end of the Byzantine era. The choir performed a number of İlahis, or Muslim hymns, during the concert, which was organized by Turkey’s state-owned Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT).

The choir’s founder and arts director, Mehmet Bajraktarevic, said he was very proud to be in İstanbul for such an important occasion. “During my 35-year career, I’ve directed many concerts throughout Europe, but this is the most significant task that I have been given. I am honored that Sultan Mehmed Fatih was chosen to perform at Aya İrini on such an important day in history. This is by far the ‘trophy of my career’,” he said, adding that he was delighted to have been invited to perform at Aya İrini by TRT.

The performance at Aya İrini marked Sultan Mehmed Fatih’s ninth appearance in Turkey in seven years. “We are always excited to perform in Turkey. We are respected here, and our talent is recognized. While in our own country, Bosnia, people are not interested in our choir, or our İlahis. It saddens me, but it is a harsh reality,” Bajraktarevic said ruefully.

The choir director also shared information on the background of the choir. Formed in 2004, the ensemble is made up of nine pedagogues and 100 vocalists of varying age groups. “Sultan Mehmed Fatih has two generations of vocalists. We even have a mother and a daughter singing together,” Bajraktarevic said.

The choir was invited to perform on the anniversary of İstanbul’s conquest, after the general director of TRT, İbrahim Şahin, discovered the ensemble at a concert during a random visit to Bosnia. The ensemble is made up of different choirs from Bosnia and Turkey such as the Choir Dzulistan from Novi Pazar, Serbia. The ensemble’s popular repertoire consists of songs in several different languages, including Persian, Turkish, Bosnian and Arabic, with a unique blend of Western and Balkan influences and traditions.

Cihan news agency

via Bosnian musical ensemble celebrates İstanbul’s conquest | Art & Culture | World Bulletin.

May 31, 2011