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Türkiye is deploying one of the largest security operations in NATO summit history while simultaneously giving the capital "a cosmetic makeover" ahead of the alliance's gathering in Ankara on July 7-8, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg.
"About 70,000 uniformed and plainclothes police officers and gendarmerie personnel will be deployed to guard the event," the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters.
All NATO leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, are expected to attend.
The NATO summit is among the highest-profile diplomatic gatherings in Türkiye this year.
The country will also host the COP31 climate summit in November.
Türkiye has installed facial-recognition cameras across crowded parts of Ankara, according to people familiar with the matter.
"To help prevent protests, authorities have also urged allied governments to stop individuals flagged in intelligence reports from traveling to the country," they said.
A roughly 5-kilometer radius around the summit venue, the presidential complex, will be closed to traffic during the event, as will areas around key hotels.
"NATO leaders will be transported around the complex in limousine variants of Türkiye's domestically produced electric vehicle Togg," the people added.
Some of the preparations are aesthetic.
Authorities are repainting buildings along motorcade routes free of charge, planting roses and rushing infrastructure repairs, including repaving roads, according to Bloomberg's sources.
Road maintenance, landscaping, and security work are underway at key points across the city, including along the route stretching from Esenboga Airport to the city center, according to the Ihlas News Agency (IHA).
Crews are installing guardrails on medians to improve pedestrian safety, and the exteriors of some buildings along protocol routes are being renovated, with barriers erected to screen the area from view.
Speaking to IHA, a worker involved in the preparations, described the pace of the work.
"Our workload is very heavy. We're working evening shifts. We're installing these guardrails here so people are safer. Just last week there was an accident further down the road, and a woman was run over. Because of that, we have to close this route completely. That's why our evening shifts are continuing intensively. Since this is a protocol road, we're continuing this work so that crossing here can be safer and more orderly," he said.
Asked about the barriers concealing certain streets and the repainting of building exteriors, Tekindemir said the measures were a positive step.
"I think it should be covered up. It's better for visitors coming to our country from abroad not to see a bad image. People coming from abroad will see this. For example, there are slums here, and there are areas in between with a poor appearance. Covering it up and fixing it is a very good thing. In terms of presenting our country better to the outside world and creating a more attractive image of the country, it's very good," he added.
Trump confirmed Friday that he plans to travel to Türkiye for the summit.
"We are doing a lot of trips. We will be going to Türkiye," Trump told U.S. Air Force service members ahead of his departure from Joint Base Andrews for Camp David.
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