Demand from foreigners to learn Turkish language increasing

Professor Ali Fuat Bilkan, the general director of the Yunus Emre Institute, which aims to promote the Turkish language and culture around the world, has said that the demand from foreigners wanting to learn Turkish has increased in recent years. Speaking to Today's Zaman, Professor Bilkan stated that the increase in the demand to learn Turkish can be associated with Turkey's emergence as a regional power in recent years. Stating that Turkish has become a language that provides job opportunities in the Balkan and Middle Eastern countries, Bilkan further stated that elective courses offering Turkish language education may be included in official education curricula in Tunisia, Egypt, Albania and Jordan within a few years.