Security in and around Antalya has been tightened ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit which takes place on 15-16th November.
The summit, which is expecting around 13,000 visitors, will host the leaders of the world’s major economies.
Interior Minister Selami Altinok visited Antalya last week, inspecting the measures that had been taken ahead of the summit.
“We have reviewed measures in place. Preparations are completed. Turkey and Antalya is ready for the summit,” he noted.
Beefed up security measures have come after a series of bomb attacks were launched in the country; the latest being twin bombs attacks killing scores of people at pro-Kurdish rally in Ankara in October.
French President Francois Holland has pulled out of the summit following suicide bomb attacks and a series of shootings in Paris last night, where around 120 people were killed. Reports say that about 200 others were injured.
Antalya Governor Muammer Turker announced that some 12,000 security personnel will be deployed to provide security for the summit.
Hotels and convention centres that will accommodate the guests will be placed under tight security measures, allowing only accredited visitors to come in and go.
The governor said high-tech surveillance cameras that were equipped with facial recognition and license tag recognition systems were installed around the conference venue.
Air traffic over Antalya will be monitored by the Turkish Air Force. It is also likely that a no-fly zone will be declared around the local area and F-16 fighter jets are ready to be scrambled in any emergency. The local sea area will be patrolled by the coast guard.
Security services have set up a command centre to monitor security measures in and around Antalya
Turker gave assurances that plans are in place for every contingency with first responders on standby in the event of any incident.
Edited from Cyprus Mail and The Guardian
