“Ottoman Istimalet (the policy of tolerence) Politics: XV. and XVI. Century” book Introduced

Translated into Turkish by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), “Ottoman Politics of Istimalet: XV. and XVI. Century” book was introduced.

The launch of the book titled "Ottoman Istimalet Politics: XV. and XVI. Century", written by Dr. Sedat Beslija from University of Sarajevo, and translated into Turkish by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), was held in Sarajevo.

Abdullah Eren, President of YTB, Dr. Sedat Beslija, the author of the book, academicians, students and representatives of Turkish institutions and organizations attended the introductory meeting held at the Rectorate of the University of Sarajevo.

In his speech at the program, YTB President Eren said that they attach importance to developing relations with Turks abroad and related communities, and that Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the related communities, is also important for them. Stating that Türkiye has provided scholarship opportunities to more than a thousand students from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eren stated that currently more than 100 students from Bosnia and Herzegovina are continuing their university education in Türkiye.

Stating that they carry out many programs for students in the Balkans, Eren said, "We have academic studies, organize conferences and publish books."

Explaining that the events that have been going on in Gaza for 11 months have shown us that the international system has completely collapsed, Eren said, “We all have the opinion that there is no longer a sustainable international system in the world. The problems we face today are unique to today. There are 8 billion people in the world today. Never before in history have so many people lived. There was an environment of peace and stability established in this geography during a period of history. I think it is the duty of historians to see and explain this. We will be told about the policy of the Ottoman Empire when it first came to this geography.”

In his speech, Dr. Sedat Beslija stated that the book emerged as a result of academic research and that his Bosnian work was translated into Turkish and English by YTB.

Stating that the Ottoman Empire's istimalet (the policy of tolerance) strategy was also used in other Balkan countries, Beslija stated that with these methods, the Ottoman Empire was permanent in the Balkans for centuries.

Stating that writing the book gave him honor and dignity, Beslija said, "History books written in Bosnia and written in Bosnian language are not translated into Turkish or English very often. That's why this gave us an honor. Ottoman historians, especially the late Halil İnalcık, discussed this concept. We tried to research this concept in the context of the Balkans and especially Bosnia. We need to understand and explain the Ottoman policy of istimalet, which means 'the policy of tolerance' in contemporary Turkish.”

“The Ottoman Empire used political strategies such as inclination, attraction and attracting to its side in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries," he said.