DAMASCUS / Muhammad Qara Bujaq / Anadolu

Turkey and Syria signed an agreement on Thursday to regulate the establishment, operation, and management of cultural center activities in both countries.

Anadolu correspondent reported that the agreement was signed by Turkish Ambassador to Damascus Nuh Yılmaz and the Director of the International Cooperation Department of the Syrian Foreign Ministry, Qutayba Qadish.

The signing ceremony was attended by officials from the Turkish embassy, along with Furkan Koroğlu, acting coordinator of the Yunus Emre Cultural Center in Damascus.

In a statement to Anadolu, the Turkish ambassador said that relations between his country and Syria are undergoing rapid development within the framework of the political will shown by the presidents of both countries, noting that work is also underway to establish the legal framework regulating these relations.

He added that the signed agreement represents an important step towards establishing bilateral relations on institutional and legal foundations.

He explained that Yunus Emre cultural centers were active in Damascus and Aleppo before the outbreak of war, but had to suspend their activities after the conflict began.

Yılmaz explained that under the agreement, Yunus Emre centers will be able to carry out their activities in various parts of Syria, indicating that their main tasks will be teaching Turkish language and introducing Turkish culture.

He pointed out that there is a large segment in Syria that is proficient in Turkish, noting that this is not limited to Syrian Turkmen, but also includes large numbers of Syrians who have lived in Turkey for many years.

He stated that these centers will play an important role in preserving, developing, and elevating the existing linguistic capital to an academic level.

Yılmaz noted that the Yunus Emre Institute will work in the coming period to implement activities aimed at highlighting and rediscovering the shared cultural heritage between Turkey and Syria.