Turkish gvt to introduce elective Kurdish lessons

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that his government would introduce elective lessons in the Kurdish language in schools.

Delivering a speech at his Justice and Development (AK) Party parliamentary group meeting, Erdogan said that when sufficient number of students was eager to take Kurdish lesson, the course would be given to them as an elective.

"This is a historic step," he said.

Erdogan said that the government was working to improve rights of citizens of Kurdish origin.