With the organization of Burch University in Sarajevo, the international conference on Turkish language and literature began yesterday in Sarajevo called ‘Utek’13’ and will last until 19 May.
Nadira Sarajlić, Head of Public Relations at Burch told Fena that the goal of the conference is to contribute to research in the field of Turkish language, literature, culture an history in the Balkans.
“What is particularly impressive are the traces of Turkish culture in BiH, which is the reason for holding this conference in Sarajevo, which represents a bridge between Europe and Asia, a place where cultures, languages and literature of the East and West meet’’, said Sarajlić.
During the conference, academic works will be presented by 351 participants from the following 14 countries: Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Kyrgistan, Afghanistan, Macedonia, Slovenia, Albania, Serbia, Turkey, BiH and Iraq.
The speakers at the conference include distinguished experts, prof. dr. Kerim Filan from the Philosophy Faculty in Sarajevo and prof. dr. Sukru Haluk Akalin from the University of Hacettepe in Ankara. They will speak on the history of the Turkish language, its development and changes and the impact that it had in the Balkans.
“We think that the conference will have multiple benefits in the area of academic research on the topic of Turkish language in the Balkans, and will positively impact the promotion of tourism in our countries. On the last day of the conference, all participants at the conference have reserved for them tourist destinations to Mostar, Travnik and Blaga, said Sarajlić.
Sarajlić said that the goal is also to enable orientalists from BiH to meet with colleagues from other countries, and especially Turkey, to exchange experiences and to agree on cooperation and joint projects.
The conference is being implemented with universities in Tuzla, Zenica and Sarajevo, and universities from Turkey (Istanbul, Marmara, Muğla, Trakya, Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Diyarbakır, and with the support of the journal Yağmur.
