Ankara and Berlin Negotiate to Establish Turkish Schools in Germany

The governments of Turkey and Germany are negotiating an agreement that will establish Turkish schools in the largest EU country. They will be located in Berlin, Cologne and Frankfurt.

The German government has been in intensive talks with Ankara on plans to set up Turkish schools in Berlin, Cologne and Frankfurt, Süddeutsche Zeitung reports.

These are three of the five largest cities in Germany with a significant population of Turkish nationals and Germans of Turkish origin.

The potential agreement would work the same way, thanks to which three German schools were set up in Turkey - in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir.

In 2018, the Turkish government suspended the closure of the German school in Izmir due to the expiration of its work license.

Negotiations involving the Federal Government of Germany and the federal administrations responsible for schools continue since last summer and the draft agreement is currently under review.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the planned agreement with the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now aimed at "providing a legal framework for the German schools in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir".

Nearly 3 million people with Turkish roots live in Germany, half of whom have German citizenship.