AFP
A drawing competition launched by the Chinese Embassy in Turkey to promote interest in China among students appears to have backfired after several submissions depicting state-backed policies of repression in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) were posted online.
The “China in my Dreams” contest which Turkey’s International Science and Culture Foundation, the country’s Ministry of National Education, and the Chinese Embassy launched in 2016 rewards Turkish high school students whose artwork best depicts the theme of ties between Beijing and Ankara.
Students are required to submit their entries between May 3 and June 13 and winners are presented with trips to China, where they visit Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi’an. In order to mark the 50
Officials: Saudi Arabia closed Turkey language schools for political reasons
People chant slogans and hold posters in protest of Saudi Arabia s actions in Yemen during a protest outside the Saudi Arabian consulate on November 11, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey [Chris McGrath/Getty Images] March 16, 2021 at 12:26 pm
A number of Turkish officials have said that Saudi Arabia s decision to close Turkish language schools in several cities across the kingdom last year was a purely political move, local media reported.
A spokesman for the Turkish Ministry of Education, Ahmet Emre Bilgili, said: Despite all efforts made, the Saudi authorities closed all Turkish language schools in the cities of Makkah and Madinah, adding that other schools have encountered many difficulties.
Published date: 16 March 2021 13:30 UTC | Last update: 1 week 5 days ago
Saudi Arabia reportedly closed eight Turkish schools in the cities of Mecca and Medina last year, as Turkish exports to Riyadh have plummeted amid an unofficial Saudi boycott.
Two Turkish Ministry of Education officials told the Turkish parliament last week that, despite their best efforts, they couldn’t overcome Saudi bureaucratic obstacles to keep the schools open.
“They were de facto closed at the end of 2020. We are trying every possible means through diplomatic channels to reopen these schools,” said Ahmet Bilgili, director-general for overseas education, during a parliamentary briefing.
Another Turkish official, Burcu Dalkiran, said that tensions over the schools have been slightly eased since a phone call between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Arabia s King Salman last November.