Distinguished President of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce,

Distinguished Rectors of the Istanbul Commerce University and Yıldız Technical University,

Esteemed Ambassadors,

Distinguished Academics, Dear Students and Distinguished Guests,

It is a great pleasure for me to meet you in this symposium which has gathered distinguished participants from the Balkan states. I would like to express my appreciation to everyone who has contributed to the organization of this event.

First of all, I would like to state that we are deeply saddened by the loss of lives and property caused by the flood disaster last week in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Croatia.

On this occasion, I express my condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives and wish speedy recovery to the injured.

Turkey has maintained its support to these countries since the first days of the disaster.

In these difficult times, we will continue to provide all possible assistance to our friends in the Balkans, taking into account their requests.

Distinguished guests,

The Balkans, which have lived through major wars and conflicts, but which have also played host to many civilizations, have been in the focus of international developments throughout history.

We would like the Balkans to be a role model to the world as a region where different communities and cultures live in peace and tranquility today as in the past.

Maintaining lasting peace and stability in the Balkans is a foreign policy priority for Turkey due to their geostrategic location, our common historical heritage and close humanitarian and cultural ties with the people in the region.

Turkey attaches special importance to bilateral as well as to multilateral cooperation between Balkan countries.

We are implementing a dynamic and a proactive foreign policy in the region.

We have recently intensified our interest and efforts towards the region particularly due to the impacts of the developments in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo.

Distinguished participants,

Not only a common history and values​​ connect the Balkan states with one another, but also a common vision for the future.

The orientation of countries in the region towards European and Euro-Atlantic institutions constitutes an important anchor for regional peace and stability.

In this context, Turkey supports integration perspectives of the Balkan states with the EU and NATO and on every occasion expresses the necessity to continue reforms to that end.

In Turkey, we consider the Balkans, of which we are a part, not as a region on the edge of Europe but as the heart of the continent.

Our main objective is the completion of the integration process of the region as a whole with the EU.

In this regard, we consider the recent positive developments in the Balkans as important stages for the future both of the region and of Europe.

I would like to give some examples of these developments;

- Croatia became an EU member as of 1 July 2013.

- A historical accord was reached on April 19th last year during the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Process as a result of the courage and determination displayed by the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo.

- As a result of the positive developments experienced in the Dialogue Process, the EU initiated membership negotiations with Serbia and negotiations on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Kosovo.


- Montenegro successfully proceeds in its EU negotiation process. Turkey-EU relations have also gained a new momentum.

We think that all these welcome developments are important steps both for the Balkans and for the future of Europe.

In this framework, we hope that Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania also will make progress in the integration process with the EU.

Distinguished Guests,

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B-H) is based on a sensitive balance. The Preservation of its territorial integrity and sovereignty is important.

I would like to emphasize particularly that Turkey wishes this country to have a state structure functioning in stability.

We have closely followed the recent developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The disappointment resulting from the standstill in the integration process with the EU and NATO as well as the people’s reaction to the socio-economic situation are the underlying factors of these incidents.

Therefore we sincerely wish that B-H makes progress in the EU and NATO processes by overcoming its own political obstacles.

We have contacts with the international actors, particularly the EU, on the matter of increasing political and economic support for B-H.

H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoglu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, paid a visit to Sarajevo on February 12th after the start of the protests.

Following the visit, Minister Davutoğlu suggested to High Representative Ashton that economic assistance for B-H should be increased and a donors' conference should be held for this purpose.

In addition, Minister Davutoğlu attended the Sarajevo Business Forum held on 14 May 2014.

We also work on how to help B-H in cooperation with the EU within the framework of the "Compact for Growth" programme being prepared by the EU.

Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan participated in the conference held in Sarajevo within the scope of this programme on 26-27 May 2014.

We observe that the problems experienced in B-H are essentially similar in all the countries of the region.

We think that political and socio-economic issues in the Balkan states bring forward the need for developing regional cooperation.

Due to the importance we attach to the development of regional cooperation, we continue our substantial support to the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) and the Regional Cooperation Council.

SEECP is of particular importance, as it is the only Balkan cooperation forum that reflects the common will and the distinct voice of the region.

Turkey believes in the necessity of strengthening this process in accordance with today's requirements. With this understanding, we have taken the lead in establishing a working group regarding the future of the SEECP among member countries.

Similarly, the first meeting of the SEECP Parliamentary Assembly established upon the initiative of Turkey held in Bucharest on 9-11 May 2014 has been an important development that will contribute to regional cooperation.

Moreover, we try to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding, tolerance and cooperation by means of trilateral cooperation mechanisms that we have established with B-H, Serbia and Croatia, for promoting normalization and good neighborly relations in the region.

Kosovo constitutes another issue on which we focus in the Balkans.

Turkey is among the first countries recognizing the independence of Kosovo in 2008.

Turkey exerts efforts with a view to ensuring that the independence of Kosovo is recognized by the international community and that Kosovo can become member to more international organizations.

Kosovo has proved within a short period of time since its declaration of independence that it is a reliable partner for the international community, and it has made important progress on the way of establishing democratic institutions and for economic development.

As of today, the number of countries recognizing Kosovo has reached 106.

Kosovo became a member to the IMF, the World Bank and the European Bank for reconstruction and Development. In addition, it has made progress on the way for becoming a member to the regional and international organizations and initiatives, notably the Regional Cooperation Council.

The elections in the Balkans are also an important item on the agenda.

On this occasion, I would like to express our hope that the general elections held in Serbia in March, the general elections and the Presidential elections held in Macedonia in April, and the European Parliament elections will bring positive results for our region.

I wish that the early general elections to be held on 8 June 2014 in Kosovo will produce positive results for the stability of the country and contribute to the environment of regional cooperation and peace in the Balkans.

Distinguished guests,

Our bilateral relations with Balkan states are developing, mutual visits continue and intensify at every level, and our cooperation deepens in every field.

We are establishing High Level Cooperation Councils (HLCCs) with the countries of the region in order to organize joint cabinet meetings.

In this framework, a High Level Cooperation Council was founded with Bulgaria on March 2012.

Likewise, the preparations for establishing a similar mechanism with Albania have been completed.

The visit of H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey, to Albania on 14 May 2014 on the occasion of the first meeting of the High Level Cooperation Council, was postponed because of the mine disaster in Soma.

In addition, we signed Strategic Partnership Documents with Macedonia in November 2008, with Slovenia in March 2011, and with Romania in December 2011.

We attach great importance to the development of economic cooperation between Turkey and the Balkan states.

We aim at further increasing the current bilateral commercial relations and mutual investments.

We welcome the fact that important infrastructure projects in the Balkans are successfully conducted by the Turkish firms.

Turkey has recently agreed on visa exemption and signed free trade agreements with many Balkan states.

As a result of the visa exemption agreements with the Western Balkan states, passenger traffic between Turkey and Balkan nations has greatly increased.

Turkish Airlines’ and Turkish private airline companies’ flights to all Balkan countries have also significantly contributed to this development and had positive repercussions for Turkey’s image.

The human dimension of our relations with the Balkan countries carries a special significance as well.

Nearly 2 million of our kinsmen who live in Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania and Kosovo, and our citizens of Balkan origin constitute the human bridge between us and the rest of the region.

Turkey regards it as important that our kinsmen and affiliated communities living in the Balkans remain strong segments of their societies sharing equally the welfare, enjoying political representation, and maintaining their spiritual bonds with Turkey.

The human dimension of our relations have flourished recently thanks to the efforts of the municipalities and non-governmental organizations in addition to those of the Turkish International Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and the Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Centers.

We attach importance also to the protection of the historical and cultural heritage of the region.

We believe that in order to sustain the culture of mutual respect and co-existence, which has existed for centuries, it is necessary to protect the ethnic, religious and cultural richness of the region.

For this purpose, we support the preservation of other cultural and historical sites besides the monuments of the Ottoman period, which are the true reflections of our common history and our cultural past with the countries of the region.

Distinguished participants,

Before I conclude, I would like to note with satisfaction that the Balkans, which harbor serious conflicts originating from history, is