Balkan Time | 7. Bulgarian-Turkish culture in Burgas

Nearly 120 people attended the 7th Turkish-Bulgarian Culture – Language, Religion, Art and NGO Workshop held in Burgas from February 24-26.

The event is part of the program of Ilhan Kucuk, co-chair of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE Party) and member of the European Union (EU) Parliament’s Renewed Europe group of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (HÖH).

Special guests at the workshop were Turkey’s Ambassador to Sofia Aylin Etcök and Turkey’s Consul General in Burgas Sinem Guzel. Among the participants were the two deputies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sevim Ali and Ashraf Ashraf in the 48th session of the People’s Assembly, as well as Sezgin Mehmet, who was also the head of the youth branch of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ahmed Suleiman, the head of the Burgas region.

The Cultural Forum started with a minute of silence in mourning for the victims of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

In his welcoming speech to the participants in the cultural forum, European Parliament member Ilhan Kucuk said: “Our history, customs and traditions, our culture is our richness. I encourage preserving and preserving traditions, because diversity is wealth. The diversity of the world lies in differences, on the basis of which we must build Bridges and uniting society Diversity is a source of pride for the country Culture workers are among the most important individuals who preserve and develop the nation’s identity, language, religion, culture and traditions.

Welcoming the attendees, Turkey’s Ambassador to Sofia Eileen Itcock expressed her sincere thanks for the assistance and sympathy she had shown to those affected by the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

This year’s workshop brought together academics, university lecturers, civil society sector representatives, directors of folklore ensembles, poets, writers, and the Turkish cultural community, who strive to preserve elements of Turkish identity, such as language, lifestyle, and traditions. Three seminars were organized as part of the Cultural Forum. The main topics covered in these subjects were “Language, Religion, Art and Journalism of the Turkic Ethnic Group in Bulgaria”, “Turkish Education in Bulgarian Schools and Turkish Textbooks”, “Turkic Universities Teachers in Bulgaria”. The fourth topic was devoted to preserving the ethnic and cultural identity of the Turks in Bulgaria, the role of non-governmental organizations, the role of folk culture and municipal children’s complexes.

Within the framework of the symposium program, oil paintings by the painter Kemper Kemper from the city of Momchilgrad (Mistanli) were shown. Vivezi Ali, a master of marble technique from Western Thrace, came to Burgas from Greece specially to attend the forum. The artist displayed works of marble art, accompanied by a display of marble, which is an ancient and rare Turkish art.

source: Kircaalinews