Iraqi refugees living in central Turkey's Kırşehir have founded a cultural center in order to facilitate communication between locals and new arrivals from Iraq. The "Sevenler" center for culture and education is operated by volunteers who offer free Turkish and Arab language courses.

The center's chairman, Usame Abdurrahim, told Anadolu Agency that "Sevenler" was founded in order to help Iraqis and especially Iraqi refugees find social contacts and to build solidarity around them.

Inam Numan, one of the center's Iraqi students, said that the Turkish course had helped her meet her minimum needs in Kırşehir. Saffet Yürekli, a Turkish citizen long interested in learning Arabic also praised the course for fostering a better understanding between Turks and "our refugee brothers and sisters."

So far 180 individuals have joined the Turkish courses and 150 are profiting from the Arabic courses offered by the cultural and educational center, which is located in Kırşehir's Kuşdili district.

Abdurrahim, stressing the strong public interest in the courses, said that due to the limited space of the venue, they are experiencing problems meeting the high demand.