Minority Issues in the Balkans and the EU

Historians and experts on minority issues from the Balkan countries, Turkey and Germany will discuss on the historical development and current situation of the minority groups in the Balkans. Particular attention is given to the Muslim Turkish minorities in Bulgaria, Greece and Macedonia, Albanian minority in Greece and Greek minority in Albania as well as the orthodox Christian Gagauzes in Moldova.

MINORITY ISSUES IN THE BALKANS AND THE EU

May 16th, 2007 (10.00-17.30)
Auditorium / Yildiz Campus - Besiktas / Istanbul,

Programme

Opening Remarks

10.00
Prof. Dr. Gencer Özcan (Istanbul)
R. Ambassador Güner Öztek (Istanbul)

1st Session

Chairperson: Prof. Dr. Aydin Babuna (Istanbul)

10.20 Prof. Dr. Hans Georg Majer (München)
Minorities in the Balkans: The Ottoman Heritage Revisited

10.40 Prof. Dr. Beqir Meta (Tirana)
Albanian and Greek Policies for the Various Minorities during the XXth Century

11.00 Prof. Dr. Mirjana Najcevska (Skopje)
Turkish Minority in Macedonia: Between Prejudices of the Past and Minoritisation of the Present

11.20 Dr. Olga Radova (Chisinau)
Minorty Rights in Moldova and the Gagauzes

11.40 Coffee Break

12.00 Discussion

2nd Session

Chairperson: Prof. Dr. Hans Georg Majer (München)

14.00 Assist. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Hacisalihoglu (Istanbul)
Minorities in the Balkans and the Issue of Toponomy: Bulgarian Case

14.20 Dr. Krasimir Kanev (Sofia)
Muslim Minorities and Democratization Process in Bulgaria

14.40 Assist. Prof. Dr. Ali Dayioglu (Nicosia)
Changing Aspects of Minority Policy in Bulgaria after 1989: The Case of Muslim-Turkish Minority

15.00 Coffee Break

15.30 Assist. Prof. Dr. Elcin Macar (Istanbul)
The Turks of the Dodacanese: From Lausanne to Present

15.50 Dr. Lambros Baltsiotis (Athens)
Minorities in Greece: State Policies and Administrative Practices

16.10 Assist. Prof. Dr. Fuat Aksu (Istanbul)
A Dispute Easy to Settle: Minority Issues in Turco-Greek Relations

16.30 Discussion