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Sat, May 26 2012
Ankara closely monitoring referendum on Turkish news in Bulgaria
Turkey's foreign ministry says it is carefully monitoring the prospect of a national referendum in Bulgaria on whether public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television (BNT) should continue a special daily news bulletin in Turkish.
Ankara was also following reaction to the issue, Bulgarian BTA news agency quoted a December 17 2009 statement by the Turkish foreign ministry.
"We expect the Bulgarian Government to make the necessary efforts to deal with the matter through dialogue and within the framework of democratic laws and human rights," the statement read.
The communique comes two days after Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov and ruling party GERB publicly endorsed ultra-nationalist party Ataka's campaign for a national referendum on the special daily news bulletin in Turkish.
The news bulletin is 10 minutes long and has been broadcast five days a week at 5pm since 2000.
Siderov and Ataka have been campaigning for more than five years against BNT's daily afternoon broadcast of a news summary in Turkish. Bulgarian is the official language of Bulgaria and there is no place for news in Turkish on the public broadcaster, Siderov insisted.
"This is a very delicate situation and we don't want the matter being exploited against Bulgarian Muslims or by them. That's why I support the idea of resolving the issue through a referendum because this is the most democratic way," Borissov said.
According to Borissov, the aim of the referendum was to end, once and for all, political exploitation of the issue.
"We don't want other minorities to feel neglected. Soon we might have the Roma asking for news in their language," Borissov said, adding that Bulgarian was the country's official language.
On December 16 2009 Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov said that Borissov might have fallen into a trap.
"I suspect that Borissov has fallen into a big, wide trap and I hope that he realises this," Purvanov said.
Ankara was also following reaction to the issue, Bulgarian BTA news agency quoted a December 17 2009 statement by the Turkish foreign ministry.
"We expect the Bulgarian Government to make the necessary efforts to deal with the matter through dialogue and within the framework of democratic laws and human rights," the statement read.
The communique comes two days after Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov and ruling party GERB publicly endorsed ultra-nationalist party Ataka's campaign for a national referendum on the special daily news bulletin in Turkish.
The news bulletin is 10 minutes long and has been broadcast five days a week at 5pm since 2000.
Siderov and Ataka have been campaigning for more than five years against BNT's daily afternoon broadcast of a news summary in Turkish. Bulgarian is the official language of Bulgaria and there is no place for news in Turkish on the public broadcaster, Siderov insisted.
"This is a very delicate situation and we don't want the matter being exploited against Bulgarian Muslims or by them. That's why I support the idea of resolving the issue through a referendum because this is the most democratic way," Borissov said.
According to Borissov, the aim of the referendum was to end, once and for all, political exploitation of the issue.
"We don't want other minorities to feel neglected. Soon we might have the Roma asking for news in their language," Borissov said, adding that Bulgarian was the country's official language.
On December 16 2009 Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov said that Borissov might have fallen into a trap.
"I suspect that Borissov has fallen into a big, wide trap and I hope that he realises this," Purvanov said.
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Foreign Minister: Bulgaria will not hold a referendum on Turkish news bulletins
We can’t have such a referendum because we will become the laughing stock of Europe, Zheleva said.
Bulgarian PM backtracks on referendum on Turkish broadcasts
I supported Ataka because I need their support in Parliament, Boiko Borissov says.
European Parliament to debate Bulgaria's proposed referendum on Turkish newscasts
Bulgaria's Government should come to its senses, Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, says.
Bulgarian President: Prime Minister was tricked on the Turkish news referendum
I hope the Borissov realises that, President Georgi Purvanov says.
GERB, Ataka join forces on holding referendum on news in Turkish
This is the most democratic way to deal with the issue once and for all, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov says
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This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained off-topic content
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained off-topic content
As regards the "missing link", Aries, you're forgetting Greece itself, and Turkey's "lost lands" along the northern Aegean coast around Xanthi....oops, what have I just said ?
Though like I previously said you have a point about Romanian and Serbian uncooperativeness that does not mean you must not disregard the wish of Ankara to establish an Arch towards the Adriatic the visits of their foreign minister To Albania,Bosnia
and Fyrom the only link missing is Bulgaria.
Valeri - I agree with Aries; you have a very good point, especially about Romanian and Serbian lack of fraternal spirit !
By the way, if you posted all that length of posting using an iPhone, you did bloody well !
The Turks have asked the Bulgarian government to deal with the matter through dialogue and within the framework of democratic laws and human rights - what do the Turks know about human rights after 500 years of enslaving the Bulgarians ?
Valeri
i must admit that you have a point
we will continuwe our exchange tomorrow.
ЛЕКА НОЩ
"The article's title should have
made you feel uncomfortable most midly put my friend.
Ankara monitoring ............. "
Not sure I agree with that. BG routinely monitors how the so-called Macedonians treat folks who still preserve their Bulgarian identity down there. We also monitor treatments and rights for Bulgarians living in the Dimitrovgrad area - ethnically Bulgarian land occupied by Serbia for decades now. Why shouldn't Turkey care about what we do with their fellow Turks?
And the fact that Turkey herself has a weak record of respecting [...]
Read the full comment her minorities, is something to her detriment and shouldn't lower who we are. We are not Turkey.
Aries, as a 100% Bulgarian, and a Christian, I see mistreatment of minorities as a profound betrayal to our national traditions and religion. BG has, by European, and yes - Balkan standards, a very proud record of embracing folks born in BG as our nationals, and as our collective responsibility - the saving of our Jews in WWII, one example. Sure we too will have to deal with serious psychological damage inflicted by that dysfunctional Socialism we had to endure for decades, so yes- there will be Ataka types for sure - but over all, this is not who we are.
Note that BG is the only Balkan country which went through the post commie transition, without political/ethnic/religious violence! That's no accident.
On another note: Frankly Turkey has been among the more cooperative of our neighbors in the last 20 years. Our Orthodox brothers the Romanians blocked a second bridge on the Danube for almost 20 years, then our Orthodox, Slavic brothers the Serbs would NOT agree to enlarge the Nis-BG, with our (EUs) money for about the same amount of time, even before they got into their stupid wars and cut us off completely. The effect was that throughout those very crucial decades, BGs connection with the rest of Europe was one pathetic two lane old bridge, and another just as pathetic two lane, basically, a street, and that only when it was open in between wars... We couldn't even use Greece's Brindizi connection because of visa complications.
You see how our attitude is more complicated. I mean for the thinking folks among us - there are always the emotional uninformed...
Valeri.
Christian-Turks yes if you mean
the Pontic christians and the Greeks of Constantinople who were forced or chose to take the turk nationality in order to remzain in Turkey.
By the way the nationality of convienience or passport of covienience much granted worldwide helps but one thing only
Globalization.
The article's title should have
made you feel uncomfortable most midly put my friend.
Ankara monitoring .............
Is Bulgaria under "tutelage"
of Ankara ; "hell no"
It simply [...]
Read the full comment denotes arrogance.
CHEERS
Sorry I repeated the Muslim Turks. It's harder to type from my iPhone as the window is smaller and you end up not quite seeing your whole post unless you keep scroling..
Yes Aries,
they are all BG and many, in the last 20 years, dual citizens as well, of Turkey.
BG - majority is Christian Bulgarians, then you have Muslim Turks who have traditionally been pretty secular, then you have Muslim Bulgarians (who btw are much more succeptable to extreme Islamic teachings than the Turks) then the Muslim Turks, and a small minority of Christian Turks.
Ivan,
BG Turks aren't some Mexicans who just don't speak the language of the land, as to be captives of propaganda. They all speak Bulagarian, as well and this isn't an issue of communication but basic respect.
There are programs in many languages all summer long at the seaside, for the tourists, and the Madonna incident was something completely unrelated.
You don't have to understand BG. I at times don't understand my wife and kids, but still give them all my money;) life...
Valeri.
<<We should allow it because the Turks have been a relatively problem free minority that deserves respect, not because Finland does it... >>
You have a very good point
but those Turks you mention are
Bulgarian citizens aren't they?
they posess a bulgarian identity card they are educated in Bulgarian schools and hopefully
they attend Bulgarian Universities.
So presumably they can comprehend
Bulgarian language.
Simplistic maybe question
Are they Bulgarians of Islamic Creed.
As i [...]
Read the full comment know and can confirm by personnal experience
the right to free Creed is well
protected and preserved in Bulgaria.
There's a lot about Bulgaria that I dont understand. I seem to remember a radio station being fined for broadcasting an ad for the Madonna concert in English. Since then so many ads have English in them and are still being broadcast. Maybe broadcast them at 5am not pm. But it is a good medium for getting the governments point of view across (propoganda) instead of Turkish speakers relying on Dogans dogma
"Ahhh if the Finns are doing that, then surely we in BG should also do the same, if we want to be like the Great White Finlandian people .... who cares what the Finns do???"
You Valeri-boy read comments always throught the same glasses. When someone gives some example he/she can be 101 % sure that you come exactly with this kind of argument. :)
I was even thinking to put some p.s. especially for you. That was just an example to that comment about English news which somebody earlier came. You [...]
Read the full comment can show news in all languages of the world, only in Bulgarian, or not at all. I don't mind at all.
From now on I will put special Valeri p.s. to all my comments that you don't have to loose your energies.
"in Finland we have news in Swedish, English, Russian, sign language,.."
Ahhh if the Finns are doing that, then surely we in BG should also do the same, if we want to be like the Great White Finlandian people .... who cares what the Finns do???
We should allow it because the Turks have been a relatively problem free minority that deserves respect, not because Finland does it... I am beginning to get sick of all those out of context examples in other countries...
And yes, we should [...]
Read the full comment push for the same in Turkey, but if the Turks in Turkey want to destabilize their country be excluding their minorities, doesn't mean that we should do the same in BG...
in Finland we have news in Swedish, English, Russian, sign language, Samian and maybe some others too... and that's not problem for people. I think those are just services countries offer to their minorities.
Raptor has a very good point - what IS the position of English-language media in Bulgaria ? We all accept that Bulgarian is of course the official language, but most countries in Europe had some local English-language media, just as most North African countries have local French-language media.
As long as the ten-minute Turkish-language broadcast really is limited just to local news and current affairs, I don't see what anybody has to worry about.
Not sure I heard any Turkish radio broadcasts in Armenian recently....
The Turks have no place to argue given that they have banned the Kurdish political party! Democracy and human rights for Turks, but not for anyone else.
How is this a political issue..? The broadcast is not inciting political messages of any kind against the State, but simply reciting local news or affairs which has already been broadcasted.
What if the 10 minutes broadcast was carried in English Mr.Siderov, would you object to that..??