Pan-turkism and its role in the Yugoslav crisis

Abstract

The author wants to point out the influence of Pan-Turkish ideology upon the Yugoslav crisis. So he emphasizes that the basic idea of this ideology is not ethnical as it could be suggested by its name. On the contrary the Pan-Turkish ideology tends to unite all Turkish speaking Moslem peoples but also all other Moslim peoples who converted to Islam due to historical circumstances, i.e. the Turkish rule. These are the Serbs, Bulgarians, Greeks, Albanians, Gypsies etc., who converted to Islam. Led by the Pan-Turkish ideology, Turkey wants to reestablish the Ottoman Empire and the most significant breakthrough routes are directed towards the Balkans, which makes FR of Yugoslavia the most endangered country in this region. Namely, the disintegration of FRY furnished unexpected possibilities of realization this idea. That is the reason why the Republic of Turkey, as, its creator, assists the Bosnian Moslems, the Albanians in FRY, as well as those who support the independence of the former republic of Macedonia by all means, because it seems to be the most efficient way of weakening of Serbia as the major force opposing the Pan-Turkish idea. The author stresses that this idea represents the long-term policy of Turkey and it ought to be considered as the most decisive one for the security of FRY at present and in the future.

Autor u članku želi da ukaže na uticaj panturcizma na jugoslovensku krizu. Pri tome naglašava da suština te ideologije nije etnička, što bi se, na osnovu njenog imena, moglo zaključiti. Naprotiv, panturcizam teži da ujedini sve turkofonske muslimanske narode, ali i sve ostale muslimanske narode koji su sticajem okolnosti, usled islamske, odnosno osmanske vlasti postali muslimani. To su poturčeni, islamizovani: Srbi, Bugari, Grci, Šiptari, Cigani itd. Vođena ideologijom panturcizma, Turska želi da obnovi osmansku državu i njen najvažniji i najznačajniji prodor je sada usmeren ka Balkanu, pa je prostor SFR Jugoslavije najviše na udaru. Naime, raspad Jugoslavije je stvorio neslućene mogućnosti za ostvarivanje te ideje, zato Republika Turska, kao njen nosilac, svim sredstvima pomaže bosanske muslimane, Šiptare, ali i one koji teže nezavisnosti Makedonije, jer se tako najbolje slabi Srbija kao glavna snaga koja se suprotstavlja panturcizmu. Autor želi da ukaže da je ta činjenica trajno opredeljenje Turske i da se ona mora uvažavati kao najznačajnija za bezbednost Jugoslavije, kako sada, tako i ubuduće.