Inter-Ethnic Relations in Bulgaria

"REVIVAL PROCESS" BACK ON THE AGENDA

AIM Sofia, 11 December, 1997

After more than 12 years, memories of the so-called revival process in which in 1985 names of ethnic Turks in Bulgaria were forcibly changed were stirred up. This time, a history textbook for the 11th grade caused a flutter among the public, because it presented Ahmed Dogan, leader of Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), which is a parliamentary party and practically the party of ethnic Turks in Bulgaria, as a terrorist. Members of his party accused two ministers in the government of post-communist Alliance of Democratic Forces (SDS) that they had participated in the so-called "revival process". This marked a new stage in the political duel between the SDS and the DPS with the ethnic problem dating back from 1985 at its focus.

The mentioned textbook for the 11th grade was officially approved by the ministry of education at the time of the cabinet of Zhan Videnov who had founded the party of former communists, now socialists. For two years already it is used in the teaching process of a part of Bulgarian schools, since another two textbooks were also officially approved. The scandal was caused by the lesson titled "National Ethnic Problems in the Period 1944-1989" which explains the relations between the Bulgarians and the Turks during the communist regime. Special attention is devoted to the so-called "revival process" from 1985 when the communist party forcibly changed Turkish names into Bulgarian ones. More than 300 thousand ethnic Turks only during the summer of that year emigrated to Turkey, and this massive emigration remained registered in history as the "great excursion". On Bulgarian territory, secret organizations carried out terrorist acts. In an explosion of a bomb at the railway station in Bunovo, seven people were killed. This process marks one of the darkest periods in the relations between the Bulgarians and ethnic Turks in modern history of this country.

According to the mentioned textbook, in the course of 1985, in many places terrorist acts were organized causing great damage and loss of human lives. New organizations were created, such as the "Turkish National Liberation Movement in Bulgaria" the leader of which became Ahmed Dogan. This organization stimulated the Turks to emigrate, appealed to them to sabotage manufacturing and wage "war without weapons", the authors of the textbook claim. The ultimate goal of the movement was to win cultural and economic autonomy and secession of whole regions from the Bulgarian state. After 10 November 1989 when the regime of Todor Zhivkov fell, the DPS emerged from this organization, the scientist conclude in the textbook.

This text along with its entire content is not simply a lie, but an open act of instilling ethnic animosity, current leaders of the DPS think. "The so-called process of revival is considered only from the angle of expansion of Turkish nationalism. Accusations for separatism mock the will of the DPS for a joint state. I do not want my children to learn in school that their father belongs to a terrorist organization", declared Lufti Mestan, deputy of the DPS, and demanded from the minister of education Veselin Metodiev to cleanse the history textbook of all the texts which cause ethnic tensions.

The author of the textbook, Prof. Stayko Trifunov defended his position. He declared that he was stating facts from 1985 based on material from the archives of the secret service, the communist party and the state records office. Professor Trifunov claims that he possesses evidence on Dogan's participation in the terrorist acts of the time.

Minister of education and vice prime minister Metodiev tried to repel the attacks of the DPS by promising that he would ban teaching of the described lesson. Being a historian himself, Metodiev also confirmed that at the time there were terrorists among ethnic Turks, adding that he did not have data which testify that Dogan was a terrorist.

Dogan's followers, however, who had initiated the attack against the government of the SDS, refused to leave it at that and once more reached out for the memory of the revival process which went on in 1985. Osman Oktay, deputy of the DPS, declared in public that two ministers in the government were direct participants in the so-called revival process. Those were the minister of internal affairs Bogomil Bonev and minister of justice Vasil Gocev. At the time, Bonev was elaborating legal provisions which would enable putting behind bars of those who opposed forcible change of Turkish names and depriving them of property, claims Oktay in a letter to prime minister Kostov. "I expect the answer of the prime minister within 10 days, and if the case is hushed up, I will bring up the evidence", this deputy of the DPS declared.

Minister of internal affairs Bonev, at the moment one of the most popular politicians in Bulgaria, categorically rejected accusations. "I do not consider work on revealing murderers of women and children to be participation in the revival process", Bonev protested. In 1986 he visited Burgas on business in order to prevent terrorist acts. Minister Gocev also denied that he had participated in the process.

Commentators believe that straining of relations between the DPS and the SDS is not a mere coincidence. The scandal erupted on the eve of the visit of Turkish prime minister Mesut Yilmaz to Sofia who the SDS signed a few significant agreements with. Kostov's cabinet is trying to demonstrate good relations with the administration in Ankara which was considered to be reserved for the DPS until recently.

Attacks on the cabinet of Kostov and more precisely the minister of internal affairs Bonev are also a response to opening of the dossiers of agents of former state security service, which caused a scandal about a month ago. Bonev publicized the list of associates of the state security service at the time, and it included almost the entire leadership of the DPS headed by Dogan and Oktay. At the same time, it was suspected that many politicians, close to the current leadership, remained concealed. Two political forces have serious controversies in the town of Krdzali - one of the strongholds of the DPS. The local leadership of the SDS over there is incessantly attacking mayor of Krdzali Rasim Musa who was elected to the post by the votes of the DPS. For the time being Musa has managed to control the situation, but leaders of the DPS have obviously decided to transfer the interethnic struggle to a higher level in Sofia.

AIM Sofia

GEORGI FILIPOV