Int'l congress on Ottoman history begins in Albania

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - A major international conference on Ottoman history began in Albania on Thursday with the attendance of nearly 120 academics from all over the world.

The 2nd International Congress of Ottoman Studies (OSARK) kicked off in the Albanian capital Tirana in cooperation with the Turkish Historical Society (TTK) and the support of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and Yunus Emre Institute (YEE).

Arif Bilgin, head of Sakarya University's History Department and OSARK, told Anadolu Agency that the first congress was held in Turkey's Sakarya province in 2015.

Bilgin also said the congress was the third in the world to go over the Ottoman Empire's history and research.

He further asserted that all countries of the region will need to learn from the experiences of the Ottoman.

Bilgin said: ''In the last 100 years following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, great turmoil occurred in the world, particularly in the Ottoman region. Coups, internal disorder, sectarian fights and wars became the fate of this region."

"The Ottoman experience showed us how peace could be dominated in this region. This is why we need to look at this experience from very different aspects," said Bilgin.

President of TTK Refik Turan noted that the Balkans and Turkey had "deep connections" in terms of history and culture.

Turan said since the Anatolia became a homeland for Turks, the Balkans have become one of its main roots -- the others being Syria, Iraq, and the Caucasus.

According to Turan, deep historical traces of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans as well as topics related to the future will be discussed in the conference.

The congress will continue till Oct. 20.