Çavuşoğlu: "Construction of the Alanya-Antalya highway will start in March"

At the consultative meeting organized by ALTSO, AK Party Antalya Deputy Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu stated, "The construction work for the Alanya-Antalya Highway will start at the latest by March."

Former Foreign Minister and AK Party Antalya Deputy Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu participated in the consultative meeting titled "The Problems of Our Alanya and Solutions" held at the Alanya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ALTSO). Attendees included Alanya District Governor Fatih Ürkmezer, Deputy Commander of the Provincial Gendarmerie Colonel Engin Burak Mindivanlı, Gendarmerie Commander Major Hüseyin Direk, Police Chief Murat Kenan Patat, Coast Guard Command Major Erdinç Karadeniz, ALTSO President Eray Erdem, public institution directors, representatives of civil society organizations, and citizens.

ALTSO President Eray Erdem, in his opening speech, said, "Thank you all for coming together strongly today. You are the true owners of the chamber, and together we say our common ground is Alanya. As long as we do not take ownership of Alanya's common problems, it will not be possible to move forward. Today, we will share these problems in detail with Mr. Çavuşoğlu. We ask for your support to expedite the process."

AK Party Antalya Deputy Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, in his speech, noted that they will meet more frequently in the future, stating, "Ultimately, one of Alanya's main expectations, as our esteemed president just mentioned, is the Alanya-Antalya Highway. Now we want to share some good news with you. Recently, I met with the company owners; I spoke with them four days ago, again yesterday, and today. We are receiving information from the source. This project will be implemented under the build-operate model, and the company is given one year to secure financing within the tender law framework. The quicker the companies shorten this time and complete the work, the sooner they start making money. The state will also begin to receive its share of the income. Therefore, we are closely monitoring the company’s intensive work. In summary, both from the Antalya side and the Alanya side, the company has started setting up construction sites. There have been minor issues regarding the construction site on the Alanya side, which we are resolving, and in the coming weeks, the company will start work. We have learned that they have secured the financing, and after the processes related to the credit are completed, the full-capacity work on the Alanya-Antalya Highway will begin by March at the latest. We believe the project will be completed as soon as possible. May it be auspicious. However, as I mentioned earlier, the Alanya-Antalya Highway did not turn out to be as long as we wanted due to budget constraints. What is our goal? To connect this highway with the Mediterranean coastal road, that is, the Alanya-Mersin Highway. This will connect with the Gazipaşa Airport along this route. While this project continues, the remaining sections will also connect with the highways coming from Antalya, Denizli, and Afyon. The continuation of the project has already begun, and we will address that part during the construction as well".

Çavuşoğlu, addressing the traffic problems on the D-400 highway in Alanya, stated, "Alanya is currently facing other issues as well. While building the highway, we also need to solve the traffic problems on the D-400. There shouldn't be so many traffic lights on one road. We need to eliminate waiting times and accelerate traffic. However, we also need to close some intersections and traffic lights. For instance, there are places where one can turn around within 3 meters, which causes problems. The intersection in the Demirtaş neighborhood is one of them; we will also work on that road, but the works on the Alanya-Antalya road have already begun, especially starting from the Manavgat area. We need to carry out the necessary works to relieve traffic on the Alanya ring road and in Alanya itself. These issues are above politics; Alanya is our common love. When it comes to the work and services related to Alanya and Antalya, we do not see it as a matter of one party or another. We all need to cooperate. In this context, we will also resolve the issues on the Alanya ring road. As you know, we completed the construction of the bridge and tunnel on the eastern ring road. I hope that it will be opened to traffic next year from the junction at Kuşyuvası. The concrete work in the tunnel has been completed on one lane, and the other is progressing quickly. We will also build the Söylemezler Bridge and have started work on the Mahmutlar Tunnel. Therefore, we see this as an important effort to alleviate the roads around us."

Çavuşoğlu also touched on the subject of natural gas tenders and the construction of TOKİ houses, saying, "Tenders have been held regarding natural gas, and they were carried out in two phases. Currently, in the first phase, we have reached 55% in the regions from Manavgat to Alanya and Gazipaşa, and we are at 10% in the second phase. It has just started, and we need to implement this quickly. On the other hand, Alanya needs a new government complex. There is a major square project initiated by the previous mayor at the site of the current municipality and government complex. We need to carry out this project together. The construction of the government complex has begun. This year, we are investing 8 billion TL in Alanya. Next year, we plan to increase this amount. We are working to increase it, of course, there is the TOKİ issue. There is a housing problem in Alanya; rents are high. We saw this during the election period and worked on the ground. We need to carry out studies related to this. Although our first priority right now is the earthquake zone, we will continue to provide social housing in Alanya under the TOKİ framework."

Emphasizing the importance of education and healthcare, Çavuşoğlu stated: "As residents of Alanya, we place great importance on education. The greatest proof of this is the names of benefactors in schools, and Alanya ranks first in Turkey in this regard. I proudly share how much I take pride in my fellow citizens in every speech I give. May God bless all of them. We also prioritize education, and we must do so. When we opened the Educational Research Hospital in Alanya, some asked, 'Why do we need such a large hospital?' But now its capacity is full and insufficient. An additional 150 beds are also not enough. We are currently building a 50-unit oncology center, which we attach great importance to. Unfortunately, cancer cases are very prevalent. It is vital for our citizens to receive treatment here without needing to go to Antalya, with family support being very important. Psychological support is crucial; we are creating a very nice oncology center where our hospital is located. We have discussed this issue with our mayor as well. Additionally, we have a dental health center that we are transforming into a hospital. Thus, our citizens, the residents of Alanya, will be able to benefit from dental health services in a more quality and affordable manner. Another important step in healthcare is forensic services. In cases of suspicious deaths or when foreigners pass away, we had to go to Antalya for forensic reports. We are putting an end to this situation. Necessary experts and devices are being brought to Alanya. The head of forensic medicine will also come to Alanya. From now on, we will not need to go to Antalya or elsewhere for forensic reports. On-site service and quality service are important for all of us."

Çavuşoğlu stated that more work is needed to enhance the quality of tourism in Alanya and ensure its sustainability, saying, "We need to work continuously; first and foremost, our sea must be clean. This is definitely not a political issue. Not a drop of dirty water should mix with the sea. I'm not saying this for political reasons. Because Alanya is ours, our sea is ours. Our tourism sector is our most important sector. We are also monitoring the shortcomings in Alanya, and the Alanya Municipality is keeping track as well. However, the responsibility for this lies with the ASAT unit of the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality. We expect them to quickly address our shortcomings".