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Ankara gets NATO makeover amid resident complaints
🇵🇰 Pakistan /Culture & Society

Ankara gets NATO makeover amid resident complaints

From Dawn · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency New plan
  • Ankara is undergoing a significant facelift with billboards, flowers, and renovations ahead of the NATO summit.
  • The extensive preparations, costing over $235 million, have drawn criticism from locals and opposition politicians due to disruptions and perceived misallocation of funds.
  • Residents and business owners face difficulties with road closures, shop access, and loss of income, while authorities frame the projects as modernization efforts.

Ankara is sporting a new look for the upcoming NATO summit, with municipal workers planting flowers and erecting giant billboards along the route from the airport to the city center. These efforts aim to mask less-than-ideal views and present a polished image for the 32 heads of state, including U.S. President Donald Trump.

Ankara has practically become an open-air prison … The entire capital has been brought to a standstill to facilitate the movement of a few official motorcades.

— Tuncer BakirhanCo-chair of the pro-Kurdish opposition party DEM, criticizing the impact of summit preparations on city life.

The extensive preparations, which include renovating a military airport and building new roads, come with a hefty price tag of around 11 billion Turkish lira, exceeding $235 million. Turkish media reports suggest authorities view these projects as long-term investments in modernizing the capital's infrastructure.

There’s even talk of closing parks so a president can go jogging there! Residents are being treated like unwanted guests in their own city.

— Tuncer BakirhanCo-chair of the pro-Kurdish opposition party DEM, expressing frustration over perceived restrictions on residents.

However, the makeover and stringent security measures have sparked significant backlash. Road closures and forced shop shutdowns are making life difficult for the nearly six million residents and business owners. Tuncer Bakirhan, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish DEM party, criticized the situation, stating, "Ankara has practically become an open-air prison." He added that the entire capital is at a standstill for the convenience of a few motorcades, with rumors of park closures for presidential jogs being denied.

It’s our money that’s being squandered. They’re not spending it on us or the poor neighbourhoods hidden behind these boards, but on the presidents of other countries.

— Umit OrkanManager of a convenience store, complaining about the cost and impact of the summit preparations on local businesses.

Local business owners are feeling the economic pinch. Umit Orkan, a convenience store manager, fumed, "It's our money that's being squandered. They're not spending it on us or the poor neighborhoods hidden behind these boards, but on the presidents of other countries." He highlighted the severe impact on businesses, with customers unable to access shops and forced closures leading to significant income loss, affecting employees, insurance, and rent payments without compensation.

We shopkeepers are in a very difficult situation. Customers can no longer come in. We’re forced to close for a week.

— Umit OrkanManager of a convenience store, describing the economic hardship caused by summit-related disruptions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dawn in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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