{"word_count": 182, "character_count": 1117}
"Silvana Rachieru, the director of the Romanian Cultural Institute, became interested in Turkish culture during her university years. Over the last five years, she has witnessed the growing interest in Romanian culture in Turkey and vice versa, a phenomenon that has been aided by the popularity of Turkish soaps in Romania. Romania has retained strong commercial and diplomatic ties with Turkey since the Balkan gained independence in 1878, yet it comes as a surprise to learn of the increasing popularity of Turkish soap operas aired on Romanian TV. Providing a portal into the Turkish way of life and language, such soaps have led to a gradual increase in the number of tourists visiting the country. “Turkish series are very popular in Romania. [Private channel] Kanal D has three or four Turkish series. It was interesting to see the Romanians’ reactions – they have started to learn a few words in Turkish and to learn about the customs,” Silvana Rachieru, the director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Turkey, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News &#38; Economic Review. (...)"Source : Hürriyet Daily News