Saudi Arabia to Close Eight More Turkish Schools

Saudi Arabia will close eight more schools linked to the Turkish Directorate of Education, reports Anadolu, citing diplomatic sources.

The Ministry of Education of Saudi Arabia has informed the school administrations about this decision.

Relations between Ankara and Riyadh soured in 2018 following the murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.

Saudi authorities have been unofficially boycotting Turkish goods and services since October, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused the kingdom and its allies of destabilizing the region.

Last year, five Turkish schools in Mecca and Medina were closed despite attempts by Turkish officials to intervene.

Eight additional Turkish schools in Tabuk, Riyadh, Taif, Jeddah, Dammam, Mecca, Abha, and Medina will be closed by the end of the school year.

On Monday, Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin stated that Turkey is seeking to improve relations with Saudi Arabia following the Khashoggi case. “They had a court case. They made a decision, so we respect that decision,” he said.