On the eve of the NATO summit, which begins on Tuesday, the Turkish capital Ankara underwent renovations to improve its appearance for the 32 heads of the Alliance's member states, including U.S. President Donald Trump. This is reported by Agence France-Presse, informs UNN.
Details
It is noted that strict security measures have been introduced for the "transformation" — in particular, several major highways have been closed, forcing shops to shut down and complicating life for residents and business owners in the 6-million-strong city, which has drawn sharp criticism from locals and opposition politicians.
Ankara has practically become an open-air prison. ... The entire capital has been shut down to facilitate the movement of a few official motorcades. ... They are even talking about closing parks so the president can jog there! Residents are treated like unwelcome guests in their own city
The publication notes that the extensive preparations for the two-day summit, which included the reconstruction of a military airport and the construction of new roads, cost about 11 billion Turkish lira (over 235 million dollars - ed.). At the same time, the authorities presented such projects as long-term investments aimed at modernizing Ankara's infrastructure.
Reminder
A high-level delegation from the European Union will visit Ankara ahead of the NATO summit to hold talks with Turkish authorities on Ukraine, the Middle East, security, migration, and EU-Turkey relations.