The key facts

  • COP31 opened in Antalya, with Turkey hosting the conference for the first time; 196 parties and the EU are taking part
  • Minister Murat Kurum said the climate crisis shows that the fates of all countries are interconnected
  • The conference will run until November 20

Turkey's minister on the climate crisis: 'Our fates are interconnected'

COP31 President, Turkey's Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum spoke at a ministers' dinner held as part of the UN climate change conference taking place at the NEST Congress and Exhibition Center in Antalya. He said that no country, regardless of its strength, can protect itself from the climate crisis alone, and stressed the need for global cooperation. 'Nothing will stop the rising seas. No wall will prevent drought. No flag will change the direction of a storm. Climate change reminds us of an important truth: our fates are interconnected,' Kurum said.

Course of the conference

COP31 opened in Antalya on Monday and will run until November 20. Turkey is hosting the climate conference for the first time; 196 parties and the European Union are taking part. Kurum also expressed the hope that history will remember the participants of the meeting in Antalya as 'people who did not shy away from shared responsibility,' and said that Turkey, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is ready to work together with the 196 participating countries on solutions for the sake of our 'common home.'