Five models on way for idyllic Ayder Plateau in Black Sea region

Five firms commissioned with preparing a layout for the transformation of the Ayder Plateau in the Çamlıhemşin district of the Black Sea province of Rize will each offer a model to the authorities, with a two-story limit imposed by the government for development in the idyllic area.  

The authorities will narrow the offers down from five to two, from which the framework of construction will be developed. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned on Aug. 7 at a conference in nearby Rize about any construction damaging the plateau, one of Turkey's top tourism centers.

"The current Ayder cannot be our representative. The Ayder that God gave us is different [from its current situation]. We have dirtied and wrecked Ayder," Erdoğan said.

He added that he had spoken about the issue with Çamlıhemşin Mayor Osman Haşimoğlu, who agreed with him on the need to carry out work to improve Ayder's situation. 

"We'll especially focus on these [areas] as the state. We will make Ayder befit its dignity. We also today spoke with our Interior Minister [Süleyman Soylu] about Uzungöl [a unique crater lake in the Black Sea region]. We need to undertake the same transformation at Uzungöl as well. These places are areas of [tourist] attraction and I believe that once we carry out these [transformations] the number of tourists visiting will increase more," Erdoğan said. 

The Ayder Plateau lies in the foothills of the Kaçkar Mountains in the Black Sea region and attracts thousands of tourists every year due to its natural beauty. The government says a "Regional Transformation and Development Project" in the plateau, initiated by the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ), will be undertaken prevent "unlicensed construction" in the...

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