Turkey, Bosnia-Herzegovina sign deal for Turkish classes at schools

Turkish-Bosnian relations get a new boost in education, as a new agreement signed on Monday paves the way for elective Turkish classes at all schools in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

National Education Minister Nabi Avcı and Bosnia-Herzegovina Education and Science Minister Elvira Dilberovic signed the deal during the latter's visit to Turkey.

The agreement regards the teaching of Turkish as second foreign language in all Bosnian-Herzegovinian cantons as part of elective courses for grade school students. The two sides had already signed an agreement on the issue two years ago but the classes were restricted to only a few cantons in multi-ethnic Bosnia-Herzegovina, which maintains close ties with Turkey.

Avcı said the new agreement will serve as a framework for cooperation between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Turkey, and pledged further cooperation on education with Bosnia-Herzegovina. Dilberovic said the agreement added to the deep-rooted cooperation between the two countries.

Turkey's Yunus Emre Institute, a state-run foundation tasked with the promotion of Turkish culture and language, coordinates Turkish education in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where classes are offered in primary and secondary school curricula.

Relations between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Turkey, which share a legacy of centuries of Ottoman rule, revived in the past decade with Turkey's initiatives to restore ties with Muslim, Turkic and neighboring countries. Turkish and Bosnian languages share several words due to centuries of interaction between Muslim Bosnians and the Ottomans.

Apart from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Turkey managed to seal a deal with Poland for the inclusion of Turkish as an elective course for grade schools last year. Romania also offers Turkish courses for high school students, though only in a few schools.