The European Union has criticized Turkey over the exclusion of Cyprus from some preparations for the upcoming U.N. climate summit, warning that all EU member states must be treated equally ahead of the global talks.
Turkey is scheduled to host the COP31 climate summit in November, bringing together nearly 200 countries to discuss efforts to tackle global warming. However, Cyprus said it had not been invited to two preparatory meetings organized by Turkey in New York and Tokyo.
EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said the bloc would not accept what he described as unequal treatment of Cyprus, adding that all 27 EU member states should be treated the same.
“The full solidarity the other 26 EU member countries will apply,” Hoekstra said, adding that the EU had communicated its concerns to both Turkey and the United Nations.
Diplomatic dispute over Cyprus
The dispute is linked to the long-running division of Cyprus. Turkey does not recognize the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus in the south of the island and is the only country that recognizes the Turkish Cypriot administration in the north.
Turkish officials said Cyprus had been invited to COP31-related events coordinated by the United Nations, including meetings in Bonn and Petersburg. However, they said Turkey-organized national-level events, including a “Zero Waste” event in New York, followed a separate process.
A Turkish diplomatic source said the official invitation process for the COP31 Leaders’ Summit had not yet started and that no invitations had been sent to any parties under the U.N. climate framework.
EU countries consider response
Cyprus has raised concerns that it could also be excluded from the part of COP31 involving world leaders, which Turkey will organize as the host country.
Poland’s deputy climate minister Krzysztof Bolesta said some EU countries could consider skipping the summit if Cyprus was treated unfairly.
“If Cyprus is unfairly treated… we should not be going to Turkey,” he said.
Cyprus currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency and is responsible for coordinating the bloc’s preparations for COP31 until Ireland takes over the role next month.
Irish climate minister Darragh O’Brien said the issue should be resolved through dialogue, saying the situation did not need to escalate.
Turkey cannot prevent Cyprus from participating in the official U.N. negotiations at COP31, but Ankara is preparing additional events and agreements connected to the summit, including initiatives on global electricity targets supported by the EU.
