Timeline: Macedonia and Turkey :: Balkan Insight
1370s to 1380s:
The Ottoman Empire conquers most of the territory of modern day Macedonia. In 1371, the Ottomans won a decisive battle at the Marica River, now in Bulgaria, opening the way for the Turks to conquer most of the Balkans
1371-1912:
Macedonia is part of the Ottoman Empire. There are a few, rapidly quelled rebellions, notably in 1876 and 1878. In August 1903, Macedonian fighters seize control of the town of Krushevo and proclaim it an independent, socialist republic. The Ottoman army regain control of Krushevo ten days later.
1881:
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, is born in Thessaloniki - then part of Ottoman Macedonian lands but now in modern Greece
1908:
Ataturk participates in the first democratic rebellion, the Young Turk Revolution, in the Macedonian city of Resen
1912:The first Balkan war
The Balkan League - Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Greece - declare war against the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans lose their Balkan territories, except East Thrace, in modern western Turkey, and Edirne, the capital of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453.
1913:The second Balkan war
After defeating the Ottomans, Bulgaria, unsatisfied with the division of Macedonia between Greece and Serbia declares war. The conflict is settled on August 11, with all parties signing the Treaty of Bucharest. The Bulgarians give up their ambition to annex more Macedonian territory and Greece takes the biggest part – the 34,356 sq km Aegean Macedonia. Serbia takes Vardar Macedonia, 25,713 sq km, that is now the Republic of Macedonia, and Bulgaria is left with 6,789 sq km known as Pirin Macedonia.
1912 to 1913: The Balkan wars
During this period, almost 400,000 Muslims – mostly ethnic Turks – left Macedonia with the retreating Ottoman army. Most feared they would suffer Greek, Serbian or Bulgarian atrocities
Early 194Os: World War Two
In May 1941, modern Macedonia was divided between the Bulgarian and Italian forces which were part of the Nazi coalition. On August 2, 1944, after anti-Nazi fighters led by the communist party succeeding in driving German and Bulgarian forces out of the country, the Republic of Macedonia became part of Yugoslavia. Before then, Macedonia had been considered part of Serbia.
1944:
Education in Turkish language was permitted in the Socialistic Republic of Macedonia – then part of the former Yugoslavia.
1950s and 1960s:
The communist regime allows ethnic Turks to migrate to Turkey, between 160,000 and 220,000 Macedonian Turks are believed to have left the country during this period
1991:
On September 8, Macedonia declares independence after more then 90% of voters opt to split from Yugoslavia in a national referendum.
Greece immediately blocks Macedonia’s recognition under its constitutional name – the Republic of Macedonia – because of objections to the use of what it regards as a historically Hellenic name. Turkey is the second country, after Bulgaria, to recognise Macedonian independence under its constitutional name.
2001:
The ethnic Turkish community, and other minority groups, are formally acknowledged as state-building communities of the new republic in the preamble of the Macedonian constitution
2001 to 2008:
Turkey becomes the biggest supporter of the Macedonian army, donating equipment worth millions of euros. At the April 2008 NATO summit held in Bucharest, Turkey and the US lobby intensively for Macedonia to receive a membership invitation.
2007:
December 21 is named as a state public holiday for the ethnic Turkish community in Macedonia. The holiday marks the day in 1944 that the Macedonian state opened schools offering education in the Turkish language
2008:
Turkish company TAV wins the contract to run Macedonia’s two airports – Skopje and Ohrid – for the next 20 years, on condition of investing 200m euros ($264.2m) in the country’s airport infrastructure
2010:
In March, Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister visits Macedonia.
In June, Turkey invites Macedonian President Gjorgje Ivanov and Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski to attend multilateral meetings, including specially arranged sessions at major summits during the year.
In December, Vecdi Gonul, the Turkish defence minister makes an official visit to Macedonia, meeting his counterpart, Zoran Konjanovski