TURKISH PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN ALBANIA - THE IMPACT OF TURKISH SOAP OPERAS ON ALBANIAN TELEVISIONS.

Abstract

The Republic of Turkey is now maybe the most dominant and economically powerful country in the Balkans. In the current global economic crisis, Turkey remains the 17th most developed country in the world, and it expects to be among the 10 most dominant states by the year 2023. The official diplomatic relations between Turkey and Albania date back to the 1920s and despite all the political changes, these relations still remain lively. Recently, the so-called Turkey’s “soft power” in the region has brought many discussions about Turkey’s Neo-Ottomanism. The “Muhteşem Yüzyıl” (Splendid Century) TV serial, named in Albanian “Sulejmani i Madhërishëm” (Suleyman, The Magnificent) brought discussions about the Turkish public diplomacy in Albania and in the Balkans generally. This means that the Turkish TV industry, despite being a private business, has now taken on the role of the Turkish State partner, by creating, bringing and imposing a new image of Turkey abroad, and in this study concern in Albania. The twelve most successful Turkish TV serials that are aired on the Albanian televisions such as the national “Klan” TV, “Vizion Plus” TV, “Albanian Screen” TV etc., bring another reality and image of Turkey to Albania. These serials seem to be part of that public diplomacy. And as the former diplomat and Dean of the Fletcher School Edmund A. Gullion (March 1966) says, “By public diplomacy we understand the means by which governments, private groups, and individuals influence the attitudes and opinions of other peoples and governments in such a way as to exercise influence on their foreign policy decisions”. This study aims to answer the following questions: 1. How Turkey is using its public diplomacy in Albania through its TV serials? 2. What is the impact of these serials regarding the image of Turkey and its economy?