Bulgaria-funded school opens in Türkiye’s Hatay province

A school built with donations from Bulgaria was inaugurated in a ceremony in Türkiye’s Hatay Province.

The school is named after the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

The school has a total area of 780 square metres and includes eight classrooms along with auxiliary facilities. A commemorative plaque honouring the donors has been placed at the entrance, CE Report quotes BTA.

Attending the opening ceremony were Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Türkiye Angel Cholakov, Türkiye’s Deputy Education Minister Nazif Yilmaz, Hatay Governor Mustafa Masatli, Bulgarian–Turkish Women Business Club Chair Turkyan Turker, who initiated the fundraising campaign, members of the club and partner organizations, as well as Captain Maria Krashevska, Executive Board Chair at the Bulgarian Armed Forces Women Association.

Hatay was among the regions hardest hit by the devastating 2023 Türkiye–Syria earthquake. Following the disaster, 40% of the buildings in the province became unusable. Three years later, thousands of residents are still living in container settlements, while the area remains one of the largest construction sites in the world.

Turkyan Turker told BTA that she hopes the children will find hope for their future and their professions, expressing a wish that happy children will leave the school. She said she wants them to know where Bulgaria is and what Bulgarian children have done for them, adding that they should understand that Bulgarians stood by them in their most difficult moments and will continue to do so as a nation.

Angel Cholakov drew a parallel between diplomacy and charitable initiatives.

“Today we are writing a historic page in the beautiful and emotional story of Bulgarian-Turkish friendship. Together we are opening this school - a donation from the children of Bulgaria to the children of Hatay, built entirely through the efforts, the charitable campaign and the big hearts of the women of the Bulgarian–Turkish Women Business Club. Bulgaria is proud of you,” he said.

Nazif Yilmaz greeted the guests in Bulgarian and shared his positive memories of Bulgaria, expressing gratitude for the support.

“In those difficult days for Türkiye, we received tremendous help from our neighbors. Both the Bulgarian state and Bulgarian citizens sent aid. I witnessed this myself. During my visits to Bulgaria, officials and ministers always emphasized their efforts to support Türkiye after the earthquake. The assistance that came to Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Adiyaman and Malatya was beyond what we could imagine,” he said.

Mustafa Masatli noted that 210 schools in Hatay had been destroyed, while the total number of newly built schools has now reached 232, including 78 funded by donors.

“If we want to live together in peace and happiness, we must always demonstrate friendship and solidarity. Bulgaria showed its friendship both during and after the earthquake,” he said.

The first students are expected to start classes at the beginning of the next academic year. The Bulgarian donors’ mission, however, will continue, as they have invited the children to visit Bulgaria and see the country that contributed to their future.