Türkiye, Syria sign accord to expand cultural cooperation: official

Türkiye and Syria have signed an agreement on the establishment, operation, and activities of cultural centres in each other’s countries.

Under the agreement, the Turkish centres will be able to operate across Syria, primarily offering Turkish-language courses and promoting Turkish culture.

Nuh Yilmaz, Türkiye’s ambassador to Damascus, told Anadoluon Thursdaythat relations between Türkiye and Syria are developing rapidly in line with the political will expressed by the two countries’ presidents, adding that the necessary legal framework is also being established.

He called the agreement an important step towards placing bilateral ties on an institutional and legal footing.

Türkiye’s Yunus Emre cultural centres—named after a famed 14th-century poet—operated in the capital Damascus and Aleppo before the civil-war but suspended their activities after the conflict began in 2011.

Yilmaz said Syria has a sizable Turkish-speaking population, including local ethnic Turkmen communities and Syrians who lived in Türkiye for many years.