Turkish Maarif Foundation

The Turkish Maarif Foundation plays an important role not only in eliminating the destruction caused by the FETÖ group but also in ensuring equal opportunities in education in the countries where it is located, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Nov. 25.

Erdoğan sent a video message to the "Istanbul Education Summit" organized by the Turkish Maarif Foundation in Istanbul.

Nearly 470,000 Syrian have returned to their countries and more of them will go back when the conditions become ripe for their return, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said.

In talks with the Taliban, Turkey on Oct. 14 reiterated the importance of government inclusiveness for Afghanistan's unity, said a top Turkish official.

The Turkish Maarif Foundation on July 15 assumed the full administration of a school previously run by the FETÖ in Ethiopia's Oromia state after years of legal battle.

"Official handover of the school will soon follow after the conclusion of asset transfer," Levent Şahin, Maarif representative in Ethiopia, told Anadolu Agency.

Given the rise in the number of Ankara's diplomatic missions across Africa, Turkey's foreign minister said on Feb. 22 his country's presence in the continent continues to increase.

Terrorist group al-Shabaab on Dec. 30 evening claimed responsibility for Saturday's suicide truck bombing in Somalia that killed some 80 people, including two Turkish citizens, and wounded over 150 others.

A Turkish educational foundation will open more schools in Georgia, the Turkish foreign minister said on Dec. 23.

Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu attended the opening ceremony of the International Maarif Schools of Georgia in the capital Tbilisi.

"I would like to say that the Maarif Foundation will open new schools in Georgia not only in Tbilisi but also in other cities," Çavuşoğlu stressed.

Established two-and-a-half years ago to counter FETÖ's educational activities abroad, the Turkish Maarif Foundation currently operates 257 schools, of which 191 used to belong to FETÖ.

At least 27 former employees of the Turkish Central Bank have been detained as part an investigation launched into alleged members of the movement of Fethullah Gülen, the main suspect behind the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, along with several others from the Public Procurement Authority (KİK).