Saudi Arabia to Close Eight Turkish Schools

Saudi Arabia is set to close eight Turkish schools at the end of the current academic year, Turkey's Anadolu state news agency reported Wednesday, a decision that could anger Ankara as it tries to improve ties with Riyadh

Turkey's education ministry has been informed by the Saudi authorities that the eight schools will have to close at the end of the current school year, according to Anadolu.

The eight establishments targeted have a total 2,256 pupils, it added.

Turkey's foreign ministry offered no comment when contacted by AFP.

Last month the education ministry said there were 26 Turkish schools in Saudi Arabia.

The closure of eight of them risks hiking tensions between the two countries.

Relations between the two largely Muslim nations have plummeted in recent years, especially over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the country's consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

In recent months, however, Turkey has made efforts to mend its relations with regional rivals across the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.