Croatian police to learn Turkish language

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - An agreement was signed on Friday between Turkey's Yunus Emre Institute (YEE) and Zagreb police academy to provide Turkish language education to police candidates.

The Turkish culture center in the Croatian capital Zagreb will provide professional language training programs to officers in the academy.

Director Fuat Korkmaz told the signing ceremony that the institute aims to strengthen the deep-rooted and historical friendship between Turkey and Croatia.

Police academy President Davorka Martinjak said they have established good relations with Turkey, and cooperation with the cultural center has great importance.

Turkish education will start in the first week of November. Successful candidates in the initial course will proceed to the next level and receive a certificate.

Besides the Turkish language, the police officers will take courses in fields including immigration, counter-terrorism, and communication from experts of the Turkish Interior Ministry in line with a bilateral agreement.

Named after the 13th-century poet Yunus Emre, the YEE's cultural centers, from Asia to Africa, teach Turkish to everyone from young students to adults. Most recently, new centers were opened in Rwanda and Nigeria.

*Writing by Talha Ozturk in Belgrade