‘Balkan Express’ Returns to Turkey TEPAV Foreign Policy Analyst Erhan Türbedar served as a general advisor to the Project

ANKARA- 'Balkan Express' Project carried out in cooperation by TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation) and Turkish State Railways ended. The Project in which TEPAV Foreign Policy Analyst Erhan Türbedar served as a general advisor, aimed to boost the friendship between Turkey and Balkan states and promote the history as well as cultural and touristic value of the region.

Private Balkan Express train which set off on June 29, 2010, covered a 10 thousand of ground with 37 live broadcasts in 21 cities of 9 Balkan countries and returned to Turkey on August 19, 2010.

In the context of the Balkan Express Project, live broadcasts were made in all weekdays in Plovdiv, Kardjali, Sofia and Ruse in Bulgaria, Belgrade in Serbia, Bucharest and Constanza in Hungary, Zagreb in Croatia, Sarajevo and Mostar in Bosnia Herzegovina, Pristine and Prizren in Kosovo, Tetovo, Skopje, Bitola and Ohrid in Macedonia, and Salonika, Xhanti and Komotini in Greece. The broadcasts gave way to the opinions of almost 140 people resident in the region including three presidents and five ministers of state.

Türbedar: "The Project contributed to the tempering of prejudices"

TEPAV Foreign Policy Analyst Erhan Türbedar, assessing the Project results, underlined that in live broadcasts abroad, unforeseeable problems can emerge and said:

"Relevant ministries and local administrators of Balkan states devoted close attention to the Balkan Express team in the solution of such problem. I believe this stems from the ties Turkey boosted with Balkan states. Even Greece, which was reluctant to give permission to a broadcast in Western Thrace region before, facilitated a problem-free live broadcast in Xhanti and Komotini, majority of the residents being Turks. Serbia, which was once kept distance with Ankara due to its recognizing the independence of Kosovo, hosted the Balkan Express team with hospitability. All states of the region in general facilitated the Balkan Express broadcasts.

Balkan Express faced a relatively severer problem only in Sofia, capital of Bulgaria. Nationalist political party 'Ataka', which builds its domestic politics widely on Turkey and Turks, created an uproar preventing the live broadcast in Sofia. Nonetheless, we should underline that such political parties are marginal to the society in Bulgaria and thus do not represent the common attitude of the society. It was possible to get clues of the rapprochement between Ankara and Sofia over the last two decades was felt in each step we took.

It can be said that Balkan Express also made a contribution to temper some prejudices of Turkish and Balkan societies against each other. Prejudices and misinformation are main impediments to know and understand other societies. Balkan Express indirectly helped different societies to communicate, get to know each other and enrich their cultural worlds."