Turkey's aid agency will restore a historic Turkish-language theatre in the Macedonian capital Skopje, officials announced Friday.
"Macedonia has a large number of historic Turkish facilities, and the country is very helpful in terms of protecting, maintaining, and the functional use of these landmarks," Culture and Tourism Minister Nabi Avcı told a joint press conference with Macedonian State Minister Beycan Ilyas in the Turkish capital Ankara.
Avcı said the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has already restored many historical monuments in Macedonia, including the Mustafa Pasha Mosque, and Kurşunlu han, an Ottoman caravanserai built in the 15th or 16th century, which also served as an inn and prison in old Skopje.
TIKA's restoration of the Skopje Turkish Theatre, said Avcı, will help preserve a very important part of Turkish heritage.
The Skopje Turkish Theatre, which was established in 1950, has received recognition from the Macedonian presidency for its cultural contributions.
Besides Turkish, it also stages works in all the Balkan languages.
