The key facts

  • COP31 is taking place in Antalya and will run until November 20; about 4,000 journalists from five continents have been accredited
  • Erdogan has held 10 bilateral meetings, with the total number expected to exceed 20
  • Key themes: climate justice and implementation of commitments; Erdogan spoke of 'ecological genocide' in Gaza

COP31 Summit in Antalya

The 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) is underway in Antalya, Turkey, and will run until November 20. The forum's motto is 'Dialogue, Consensus and Action.' According to Turkey's Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, world leaders have recognized and highly appreciated the scale of investment and preparation put into organizing the summit. He called COP31 an event that surpasses in scale the NATO and Organization of Turkic States summits previously held in Turkey.

Key Themes: Justice and Implementation of Decisions

Duran highlighted two main themes of the summit — climate justice and the implementation of adopted commitments. In his view, developed countries that caused significant environmental damage during industrialization bear greater responsibility for combating climate change and should share financial resources and technologies with developing states rather than shifting the burden onto them. He noted that climate justice was one of the central themes of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's speech, in which, according to Duran, he stated: 'We will not merely pretend to act. The decisions made must be implemented. We will continue working on this.'

Statement on Gaza

At the press conference, Duran also conveyed Erdogan's words about the situation in Gaza: the president, according to him, said that 'the Netanyahu government is committing genocide in Gaza, but it did not stop there — by destroying olive trees, it also committed ecological genocide there.' Duran stressed that the international community should not sidestep the situation in Gaza while discussing climate issues. These statements are quoted as relayed by Duran and reflect the Turkish president's position.

Diplomacy and Media Coverage

Since arriving in Antalya, Erdogan has held 10 bilateral meetings, and, according to Duran's forecast, the next day's schedule will remain just as packed — the total number of meetings is expected to exceed 20. The president also spoke at the summit twice. Duran recalled that previous COP presidencies jointly supported Turkey's bid for the COP31 presidency, calling this important for the forum's progress. About 4,000 journalists from five continents have been accredited to cover the summit — accreditation was coordinated by the communications directorate with the UN. In addition to media work, the directorate has published a book on climate diplomacy, a glossary of climate terminology, and a publication on the goals of the Turkish presidency, and, according to Duran, is also working to counter disinformation.