Turkish PM's Foreign Policy Book - Out in Bulgarian before in English

From "brilliant" and "a geopolitics schoolbook" to "Neo-Ottomanist"; from "a milestone in statehood" to a cunning plan to re-conquer the region. Turkish Prime Minister's book on Turkish foreign policy, Stratejik Derinlik ("Strategic Depth") has enjoyed mixed reception in Bulgaria and neighboring countries for years - well before it was translated.

Having appeared in 2001, the book has had 45 editions in Turkish but has been translated only into a few other languages. In Europe, to name a few, these include Greek, Serbian, Albanian, Romanian and Italian - the English version is still to appear.

In Bulgaria, it was only some days ago that the book appeared, an event celebrated at the Bulgarian Academy of Science in Sofia this Wednesday. Just before the English-language version is out, it is worth mentioning what the first official comments were here.

Stefan Vodenicharov, who heads the Bulgarian Academy of Science, told guests who had come to hear about "Strategic Depth" that he hoped its Bulgarian edition would help "dispel some insinuations" about its specific purposes.

"The book of Ahmet Davutoglu is pure science. There is no ideology in it," said Lyuben Kozarov, CEO of Iztok-Zapad publishing house. Calling it "a schoolbook for International Relations students," he recalled that "Strategic Depth" was written in 2001, when the Prime Minister was not yet involved in Turkish politics.

Turkey's Ambassador to Bulgaria Suleyman Gokce said the gist of the book was to outline Turkey's relations with its neighbors and specify how it should interact with them, setting out recommendations and possibilities - and here Bulgaria is included.

Education Minister Todor Tanev, however, was the one who held an entire...