Interior Minister Çiftçi: 26,000 personnel and 1,500 special operations units to deploy for COP31

Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi outlined security preparations for the UN Climate Change Framework Convention 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to be held in Antalya between November 9-20. In a live broadcast on LiderHaber, Çiftçi stated that a total of 26,000 personnel will be deployed on the ground.

According to the minister, the summit will be attended by nearly 100 heads of state and government and 200-300 ministers; alongside a 20,000-person delegation, daily 100,000 visitors are expected. The conference will be held across an area of 1 million square meters.

Çiftçi summarized the security structure as follows: Approximately 1,500 special operations personnel will be deployed in the summit area; 3,298 traffic police will be on duty. The Coast Guard Command will ensure maritime security with 207 personnel, while corvettes, assault boats, and helicopters will also be present. Cybercrime units within the General Directorate of Security and Gendarmerie General Command will conduct patrols against potential cyber attacks.

Employing a concentric model centered on Antalya, neighboring provinces will be in the first security zone, more distant provinces in the second, and border and port provinces in the third. Çiftçi added that all routes from the airport to hotels and the summit area for leaders have been planned; 24-hour police watch will be maintained at the airport. Noting that accommodation areas will be divided into 5 regions, Çiftçi recalled that the same measures were applied during the 36th NATO Summit in Ankara.