Ottoman past dogs Sofia-Ankara relations

Bulgarian society remains hugely hostile to Turkish influence over domestic and regional affairs. But as nationalists continue to court anti-Turk sentiment, economists warn Sofia ignores “the China of Europe” at its peril. Three nights a week, at precisely 19.55, Margarita Petrova settles into her armchair in front of the TV, cup of tea to hand, in her Sofia apartment. The 70-year-old retired scientist, along with on average 58 per cent of all Bulgarians watching TV at this time, is preparing to savour the latest installment of the Turkish soap opera Leaf Fall.

Leaf Fall is a drama about a large family which moves from a small Turkish town to Istanbul. It is the most popular show on Bulgarian TV this year. Millions are tuning in to watch the father, the key protagonist, struggle to maintain traditional moral values following their move to the city. Petrova seems oblivious to the irony of her dedication to this Turkish soap, as she sips tea sitting beneath a picture of Vasil Levski, a Bulgarian national hero who fought the Turks, and next to books detailing atrocities committed in Bulgaria under Ottoman rule.

In fact, if you ask her, Petrova will tell you she does not want Turkish friends and that she recently signed a petition – along with more than 300,000 others – against Turkey’s entry to the European Union (EU). Petrova’s love of Leaf Fall aptly illustrates the nature of Bulgarian relations with its southern neighbour – a love-hate relationship that has been regularly soured by rising nationalism, inter-ethnic grievances and a preoccupation with the past at the expense of the future.

Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman Empire for almost 500 years, until the Russian-Ottoman War 1877-78. It is a period of history that Bulgarians still find painful. Bulgaria’s national holiday, held on March 3, marks the nation’s liberation from “the Turkish yoke” – the preferred term for Ottoman rule. When asked to describe life under the Ottomans, most Bulgarians will tell you about women being raped, the abduction of children, mass killings, the destruction of churches and monasteries and the razing of villages. The veracity of these events is confirmed in historical accounts found in Sofia’s libraries, school books, literature and art. Yet around 10 per cent of the Bulgarian population – roughly 7m people in total – is of Turkish ethnic origin. They are the largest minority group in the country, living mostly in rural areas in southeastern and northeastern Bulgaria.

News source: Balkan Insight link: article