“Our Department Chair served as a speaker at a panel held on April 21, 2026, in Pristina, Kosovo, as part of a series of academic events organized under the theme ‘Turkish Presence and Identity in the Balkans from History to the Present,’ in collaboration with the True Culture Association and the Atavatan Association.” The panel, moderated by Prof. Dr. Hüsniye TATAR, a faculty member at the Yalova University Faculty of Law, featured Prof. Dr. Taner Tatar, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, and Prof. Dr. Oktay ÖZGÜL, our Department Chair of History, as panelists. The event was attended by Fikrim DAMKA, Chairman of the Democratic Turkish Party of Kosovo; the Education Advisor in Pristina; a representative of the Pristina Maarif Foundation; school principals; teachers; students; and numerous leaders of civil society organizations. During the panel, which drew significant interest, important topics regarding the historical past, present, and future of the Turkish presence in the Balkans were discussed. Our Department Chair of History noted that “Balkan Turkish identity was formed by the Kimmerian, Scythian, Hun, Avar, Pecheneg, Kipchak, and Ottoman tribes, and that with the Ottoman Empire’s interest in the region, Balkan Turkish society reached its socio-economic peak.” He noted that numerous structures left behind by the Ottomans—such as mosques, bridges, madrasas, bathhouses, and endowments—still exist in the region today, and that Turkey has successfully carried out restoration and preservation efforts for these structures. Prof. Dr. Oktay ÖZGÜL, who specifically emphasized that the Turkish language is one of the most important elements in preserving the national identity of the Turks of the Balkans, concluded his remarks with the words: “Let’s meet in Turkish, speak in Turkish, understand each other in Turkish, and celebrate in Turkish.” At the conclusion of the panel, our Department Chair invited students studying in Kosovo to choose the History Department at Yalova University. The panel concluded with the presentation of plaques and closing remarks.
