Russians and Ukrainians meet in Turkish class

38 students, 20 of whom are Russian and 18 of whom are Ukrainian citizens, are learning Turkish at the course opened by the Eurasian Leading Women’s Cultural and Social Assistance Association with the support of the District Governor of Balcova and the Public Education Center in Izmir.

The Eurasian Leading Women’s Cultural and Social Assistance Association, founded by Georgian foreign language instructor Salome Derme, has prepared a project for adults after the Turkish course it opened for the children of Ukrainian and Russian families who settled in Izmir.

38 people who participated in the course, which was opened with the support of the District Governorship of Balçova and the Public Education Center, are taking Turkish lessons for 16 hours a week.

Salome Derme, the president of the association, said that they had established their association in order for foreigners who went to Izmir to integrate better into Turkish society after the start of the Russian and Ukrainian war.

Stating that the Turkish course for children continues, Derme stated that they had opened a course for adults 1.5 months ago when the demand came.

Expressing that Russian and Ukrainian citizens were learning Turkish side by side in the same classroom, Derme said, “This is a message to the world.”

“I WANT THE WAR TO END”

Aleksandra Dursun, a Russian citizen, said that she lived in Turkey for a while with her Turkish husband, the war began after they returned to Russia, so she settled in Izmir with her two children and her husband in March this year.

Stating that she is a dance and language instructor in his country and that she decided to learn Turkish in order to continue his profession in Turkey, Dursun said, “I have lived in Turkey before. We went to Russia with the pandemic. Here we are again. Turkey is very beautiful for children. I love Turkey very much. I love people, it doesn’t matter to me if they are Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian. We don’t want a war. We love people. Turkey means peace, Turkish means the language of peace.”