Gagauzia college dispute centres on language of instruction
The Moldovan government has approved the creation of the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Moldovan-Turkish College in Comrat, financed by Turkey. Under the protocol ratified with the Turkish side, Romanian will be the institution’s sole language of instruction, while Gagauz and Turkish will be taught only as separate subjects.
The decision has triggered a confrontation with the authorities of Gagauzia, which insist that Russian should remain available as a teaching language. The Executive Committee of Gagauzia and the civic platform Our Autonomy argue that around 95% of education in the autonomous region is conducted in Russian and that excluding it would create a disproportionate barrier for local students seeking admission to the college.
The authorities in Comrat have also pointed to the existing Süleyman Demirel Moldovan-Turkish Lyceum in Congaz, where Russian is used as the language of instruction. According to the source, this arrangement has caused no objections from either the Turkish or Gagauz sides.
Critics therefore accuse Chișinău of turning the new college into another instrument for intervening in the internal affairs of the autonomy. The Gagauzia college dispute has become part of a wider disagreement over language policy, local powers and the central government’s approach to the region.
Dan Perciun defends Romanian-only teaching
Minister of Education and Research Dan Perciun told a government meeting that opening the college with Romanian-language teaching would help strengthen the country’s common linguistic space. He complained that “some colleagues from Gagauzia are blocking this process by insisting that Russian should remain the language of instruction”.
According to Perciun, the government is creating the necessary regulatory framework and hopes that the resistance will be overcome shortly.
“We plan to open a college there focused on engineering and IT specialities, particularly with instruction in Romanian, and the government decisions put this into effect. Accordingly, today we are creating the regulatory framework,” he said.
Chișinău maintains that using Russian as a teaching language is “impossible” because of the international agreement concluded with Ankara. However, critics note that Perciun himself acknowledged that the regulatory framework is only now being established.
The government has shown no willingness to reopen negotiations with the Turkish side to resolve the language issue. Opponents of the decision argue that this suggests a determination to impose the central authorities’ preferred model rather than seek a diplomatic compromise with Comrat.
Prime Minister Vasile Tofan backed the Education Ministry’s position and linked Turkish investment to the political orientation of the autonomous region.
“We need more investment from Turkey in Gagauzia to balance the situation somewhat. Unfortunately, we all know that the orientation there is more pro-Russian, and perhaps this is an opportunity for them to rediscover their roots, because the cultural and linguistic connection is primarily with the Turkic peoples,” he said.
The remark was interpreted by critics as an attempt by the government to define the identity and historical roots of the Gagauz people from Chișinău. Tofan nevertheless described the launch of a college teaching in Romanian and Turkish as “a major achievement”.
Gagauz authorities allege discrimination
The Executive Committee of Gagauzia responded by describing the government’s actions as discriminatory and incompatible with the autonomy’s special legal status. It said the regional authorities had provided the land and coordinated construction, only to be excluded from decisions determining how the institution would operate.
Particular criticism was directed at the decision to make Romanian the only language of instruction. The committee said this contradicted the Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia, under which Russian is one of the autonomy’s official languages.
Ivan Burgudji, an adviser to the chair of the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia, said Romanian was not mentioned in the law on special status. He argued that all three official languages used in the autonomy Gagauz, Moldovan (Romanian) and Russian should be represented at the college.
Comrat municipal councillor Ivan Pania said more than 95% of pupils in Gagauzia currently study in Russian. In his assessment, denying them the opportunity to continue their education in that language directly restricts the rights of young people in the region.
The college is expected to train around 60 students a year in technical specialities. Chișinău has maintained that the language arrangement is fixed in the international protocol, while the Gagauz authorities say they will inform their Turkish partners that the project’s original concept has been distorted.
The Gagauzia college dispute therefore extends beyond the choice of teaching language. It raises questions about whether international agreements concerning the autonomy can be concluded without meaningful participation from its authorities and whether foreign investment is being used to advance political and linguistic objectives set by the central government.
