The workshop entitled "Hasan Rıza Pasha, the Hero of Iskodra and Turkey-Albania Relations from the Past to the Present," organized by Kastamonu University in cooperation with the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey State Archives, the Atatürk Culture, Language, and History Institute, the Turkish Historical Association and the Albania Coordination Office of the Yunus Emre Institute, was held in Iskodra, Albania, on March 4, 2024
The Yunus Emre Albania Coordinator, Ömer Osman Demirbaş, delivered the opening speech at the workshop, which was hosted by Luigj Gurakuqi University in Iskodra and attended by representatives of the Turkish Embassy in Tirana, participants from Turkish institutions and organizations in the country, researchers, and students.In his speech, Demirbaş referred to the centuries-old Turkish-Albanian friendship and expressed his belief that this event, dedicated to the cherished memory of Hasan Rıza Pasha, the hero of Iskodra, would breathe new life into relations between the two countries.
Our rector, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal, also gave a speech at the workshop. He began his speech with the following words: "Turkey and Albania: two countries, two different nations, two different cultures, two different geographies... One is on the shores of the Adriatic in the Balkans, and the other is at the crossroads of Anatolia and Rumelia, Asia, and Europe. One cannot help but think of these big questions: Why are we here? What is the purpose of the event we are going to organize? What will be the results of the workshop?" Our Rector continued: "Prof. Dr. Iskender Pala, one of the famous figures of our literature, in his work called "Od," in which he tells about one of our heart saints, the friend of God, Hz. Yunus, stated: "It is very different to be close in space and to be close in heart! Again, Master Necip Fazıl Kısakürek, one of our important writers, gave a different meaning to the place with a statement such as "The soul found the place and the place became the soul" in "Nur Descending into the Desert." With these words, both of them pointed out the reasons why we are in Iskodra today and showed us what our hearts should beat with and the limits of our "heart geography."In his speech, our Rector pointed out that a new page has opened in Turkey-Albania relations. He stated that Kastamonu University would like to contribute to the cooperation between the two countries. Pointing out that the late Hasan Rıza Pasha, who is described as the "Hero of Iskodra" in our history books, is our shared value, he stated the following: "In these days when we are experiencing the 111th anniversary of his death here today, we will remember a great hero, Hasan Rıza Pasha, with mercy and gratitude again. Through our common values, we will build a new bridge from Tosya/Kastamonu to Iskodra, Turkey to Albania, and witness the opening of a new and historical page in Turkish-Albanian relations.
In addition to our Rector, Prof. Dr. Uğur Ünal, President of the State Archives of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, Ambassador Prof. Dr. Derya Örs, President of the Atatürk Culture, Language, and History Institute, and Prof. Dr. Yüksel Özgen, President of the Turkish Historical Society, we also delivered speeches at the workshop.
After the opening speeches, the workshop sessions began in the first session entitled "Turkey-Albania Relations." Assoc. Prof. Dr. Halil Özcan presented his research on "Turkey-Albania Relations in the Atatürk Period." Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Çınar presented his research on "Foundations Established in Iskodra in the Ottoman Period." Prof. Dr. Mustafa Balc presented his research on "Hasan Rza Pasha's Documents in the Tirana State Archive.
In the second session titled "Hasan Rıza Pasha and His Life," Prof. Dr. Ercan Çelebi, a faculty member of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of our University, made a speech titled "Biography of Hasan Rıza Pasha, the Hero of Iskodra." Dr. Ardian Muhaj made a speech titled "Iskodra Besieged (1912–1913): Hasan Rıza Pasha as the Hero of an Epic Story," and Dr. Bendis Kraja, "Visionary Commander, Defender of Iskodra Hasan Rıza Pasha".The workshop, chaired by Prof. Dr. Selahattin Kaymakcı, a faculty member of the Faculty of Education of our university, ended with the presentation of thank-you plaques to the participants.
After the workshop, the participants visited the exhibition titled "Hero of Iskodra Hasan Rıza Pasha and Turkey-Albania Relations from Past to Present," organized by the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, the Directorate of State Archives, and the Yunus Emre Institute Albania Coordinators. After the exhibition's opening, the participants met and chatted with Albanian young people who love Turkish and Turkey and are studying at Yunus Emre Institute.
