Turkey is in talks with Germany to open three Turkish schools in the country as a part of bilateral cooperation efforts in education, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency said.

"There are three German schools in Turkey,” said Turkey’s ambassador to Berlin, Ali Kemal Aydın, referring to the schools of the German diplomatic missions in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir.

“Now we have taken steps to open three Turkish schools in Germany's Berlin, Frankfurt and Cologne provinces," Aydın said.

Aydın told reporters that Turkish and German officials had so far had five meetings on the issue.

The German government’s plans to create a framework for Turkish schools to be opened in the country has sparked a debate in Germany on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s efforts to expand his influence abroad, Deutsche Welle reported on Jan. 10.

A spokesperson for Germany's Foreign Ministry said that the proposal primarily aimed at "securing a legal basis" for German schools in Turkey.

Turkey shut down German Embassy’s school in Izmir in 2018 saying it did not have the required licence.

Germany is home to some 3 million individuals with Turkish roots, half of whom hold German citizenship. The three cities where Turkey plans establishing schools host significant Turkish populations.