Reflections of The Organization of The Islamic Conference Meetings During The Bosnia-Herzegovina War to The Turkish Press

Abstract

The right of self-determination that includes ‘the secession’ of the federated states which constitute the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) is placed on a legal basis in the prologue part of the SFRY Constitution. In this constitutional context, with the plebiscite held on March 1st 1992, the state of Bosnia-Herzegovina had declared its independence by secession. Upon the worldwide recognition of the independence declaration in April 1992, the conflicts in Bosnia-Herzegovina about establishing full sovereignty on its own territory had turned into a war within short time. Since the Bosnia-Herzegovina War had been perceived as a religious conflict by international public opinion, the meetings of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) were followed from a different point of view by the participating countries’ public opinions. Turkey has been in this process since its early beginning due to both its historical and regional connection to the territory. It is important to investigate to what extent the statements of Turkish leaders in the OIC summits that presented by the Turkish printed media to the public opinion, had contributed to the peaceful settlement of the Bosnia and Herzegovina War in an urgent way within the framework of international law.