Turkey’s rich historical past and its geographical location, at the crossroads of several different cultures, has brought about a significant number of citizens speaking dialects and languages other than Turkish, recognised in the Constitution as the official language of the country. Languages other than Turkish are defined as “languages and dialects used by Turkish citizens in their daily lives’. According to the official records, the most widely spoken languages and dialects include Arabic, Bosniac, Circassian, Kirmanchi, Zazaic, Laz, etc. These languages and dialects are spoken especially in East Anatolia, South-east Anatolia, eastern part of the Black Sea region and the Marmara Region.

The Government of Republic of Turkey has recently embarked in a wide and comprehensive programme of reforms aimed at extending fundamental freedoms and granting a larger access to basic rights for citizens. Seven reform packages have been enacted between 2001 and 2003, covering a wide range of legislative provisions. Among others, support and enrichment of the daily usage of languages and dialects other than Turkish has been foreseen. The Grant Scheme for the Promotion of Cultural Rights in Turkey (PCRT) has been specifically conceived within this context of cultural and linguistic variety.