Guldenay Sonumut: Elite French schools in Turkey threatened by political spat

Source:Turkey Recap Date:05Nov2024

Yet another example of Turkey’s hostage taking to achieve diplomatic goals approach. Remember Ankara resisting Sweden’s NATO membership  to force the country to expel so-called PKK terrorists?

This tied the fate of French schools in Turkey to a set of pending negotiations that included parameters for the “Turkish” education of Turkish students living in France. The goal was to finalize negotiations quickly with a deadline of January 2025.

In the meantime, the French schools in Turkey re-opened for this year’s fall semester under new guidelines. Negotiations continue and the uncertainty is deeply concerning for parents, as neither French nor Turkish authorities interviewed by Turkey recap expressed confidence that the other side is committed to reaching a resolution.

More broadly, the education spat underlines ongoing tensions in Ankara-Paris ties. Sources close to the matter said the issue would not have devolved to its current level under different circumstances.