Local TV channel starts Lazuri broadcasts in Black Sea region

RİZE - Anadolu Agency

Lazuri speakers will now on be able to watch the news (in other words 'Ambarepe') in their language thanks to Gelişim TV. AA photo

A local television station in the Black Sea province of Rize has begun broadcasting in Lazuri, registering a first for Turkey.

“This is a first in Turkey and the world. We will spare no effort to make our broadcasts in Lazuri. Our news programs will be in both Lazuri and Turkish. We plan to introduce Lazuri language to the youth. We believe that we will get large support,” said Turgay Terzibaş, the chief TV editor for Gelişim TV, which has been broadcasting for 15 years in the province’s Ardeşen district.

Terzibaş said they had started broadcasting news and music programs in Lazuri, a Kartvelian language spoken by the Laz people in the northeastern provinces of Rize and Artvin, via satellite on Jan. 1.

Recently, courses of Laz language was introduced in secondary schools as part of the “living languages and dialects.”