80'242 applications last year were received by the “People's Support Service” department serving the municipality in the Konyaalti district of Antalya, where a large number of Russians, i.e. e. an average of 219 applications per day, excluding weekends and holidays. Why so many, the Turkish newspaper Akdeniz Telgraf explained with reference to the Demirören News Agency (DHA).
Konyaalti is a district with a population of about 200 thousand people, 25% of whose inhabitants are foreigners, while the majority are Russians. Recently, there has been an intensive growth, according to experts, which is logical to associate with the situation in Ukraine and the announced partial mobilization in the Russian Federation. For quick assistance in resolving various situations, the authorities of the resort town created a special “People's Support Service”, where the Russians could apply with complaints. Soon, the department was inundated with requests, as the flow of those wishing to move to the resort area only increased and many had problems requiring outside help.
Konyaalti, one of the central districts of Antalya with a population of about 200 thousand people, is distinguished by the fact that 1 out of 4 of its inhabitants are foreigners. Specialists noted that last year the number of appeals to the department through social networks, phone calls or face-to-face meetings at a municipal institution increased significantly. Thus, out of 80,242 applications submitted to the division last year, about 15,000 applications were received from emigrants. Among the complaints made, including by compatriots, is the need to deal with the noise from crows, help homeless animals in need of care, and even find a missing horse. However, the most popular request was the desire to enroll in Turkish language courses.
For comparison: in another central region of Antalya, Muratpasa, densely populated by foreigners, 175 thousand applications were submitted last year to the municipal division of Turunç Masa, from of which there are only 6 thousand – complaints from foreigners. There, foreigners often turned to solve problems related to everyday life and to obtain information about municipal services.
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