Foreign Residents Committee

Another first for Alanya! The setting up of a Foreign Residents Committee. Why was this felt necessary and what has been achieved? This article will hopefully help answer these questions.

Foreigners have been coming to Alanya for many years now. For most of them, getting information and help proved to be a ‘hit or miss’ affair. Whether they wanted to know the best place to eat or how to rescue street dogs or the procedure for buying property, there was no central point of information. One person trying to help was Abdullah Karaoglu, a local businessman and member of the Town Council. He was becoming inundated with visitors to his carpet shop but it was information they wanted not carpets!
After discussing matters with the local Mayor, Hasan Sipahioglu, and other members of the council, it was agreed to set up a meeting with foreign residents to discuss the situation. In May 2004, by using information from the Water Company, letters were sent to foreign residents inviting them to a meeting. It was expected that maybe 50 people would turn up – in fact it was about 150 who came!

It was explained to the attendees that the Alanya Council wanted to set up a committee, which would have no official status, to man an office which was being prepared in the ‘Mini’ Belediye office on the street leading to the harbour. There would also be an Alanya Tourist Information office occupying another part of this building. Volunteers were asked for. The only proviso was that the members of the committee must reside in Alanya all year round i.e. not just for a couple of months at a time.

A mixture of nationalities makes up the Foreign Residents Committee and Abdullah Karaoglu (Chairman of Alanya Tourism Commission) is the Chairman. The idea is that the committee acts as a bridge between the residents and the Council. The Committee meets once a month to discuss any requests or problems raised by residents or visitors and how best to solve these.

The office at the ‘Mini’ Belediye was ready for business by October 2004 and is open on Mondays and Thursdays from 10.00 to 12.00. Two members of the committee (preferably one German speaking and one English speaking) are in attendance during those hours. Anyone is welcome to drop in and chat over any problem or obtain information regarding Alanya. These are noted and passed on to the Mayor, who decides what action, if any, should be taken. Not all of the enquiries come under the jurisdiction of Alanya Town Council and so these can only be passed on to the relevant authority (e.g. another town council) for action.

The Committee is still in a learning process but hopefully it will develop further in order to smooth the way for all residents in the Alanya Council area – Turkish and foreign – to live together in peace and harmony.

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