Saudi Arabia to close eight Turkish schools at the end of the year, Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported on Wednesday (April 28th), a move that risks angering Ankara who sought to calm relations with Riyadh. .
According to Anadolu, the Turkish Ministry of Education has been informed by the Saudi authorities that these eight establishments are expected to close their doors permanently at the end of the current school year.
A total of 2,256 children attend school there, according to the agency.
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Asked by AFP, the Turkish Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education did not respond immediately. Last month, the Education Ministry reported that 26 Turkish schools were operating in Saudi Arabia. The closure of eight of them risks sparking renewed tensions between Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Relations between these two heavyweights of the Muslim world have deteriorated sharply in recent years, in particular since the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at his country's consulate in Istanbul in 2018. After several years of arm wrestling, Turkey has however, muted his criticisms of Riyadh and multiplied declarations of appeasement towards the Saudi kingdom and its main regional allies, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.