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2015, Osmanlı Devletinde Nehirler ve Göller
The Boyana/Bojana/Buna River, which is about 41 km long and flows through Albania and Montenegro before emptying into the Adriatic Sea, was an important source of income for the people of the region in the Ottoman Empire during the Abdul Hamid era, and in the Tahtid-i Hudud works carried out after the Berlin Treaty, it served as a border between certain points. It is certain that the river had a direct impact on the socio-economic and cultural structure of the region. However, as time went by, the river filled up with alluvium, sand and silt, which inevitably created obstacles and adversely affected river transport. The floods inundated the already inadequate agricultural land and created hardship for the people of the region, who were already suffering from financial difficulties. At this point, the issue of cleaning up the river for the benefit of the people on both sides, for peace and for the livelihood of the people in the region, came to the fore. Negotiations on the project, which began positively due to the friendly relations between the leaders of the two countries, Abdul Hamid II and Nikola I, became a complete mystery due to the reluctance of the Bâb-ı Ali and the reports in which some concerns were expressed. This study discusses the political significance of the Bojana/Buna River in the relations between the two countries, as well as the correspondence and assessments of Abdul Hamid and Prince Nikola regarding the cleaning of the river. In this context, it will be discussed that Abdul Hamid conducted diplomacy over the "river", using the issue of the cleaning of the Bojana/Buna as an argument in his foreign policy against Montenegro. It was also important to deal with the issue of cleaning in order to facilitate transportation. It was also noted that the Italian merchant ships at that time had started a canal project in order not to pass the Bojana/Buna river under Ottoman control. In this context, the question is: "Did this attempt by the Italians contribute to making the river more attractive by cleaning it? The answer to this question is also sought.
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