Tensions are growing ahead of this year’s United Nations climate summit after Turkey, the host of COP31, reportedly excluded Cyprus from several preparatory meetings linked to the global conference.
According to diplomats and officials cited by POLITICO, Turkish organizers have blocked Cyprus from informal COP31 briefings and declined bilateral meeting requests submitted by Nicosia on behalf of the European Union.
The dispute has become particularly sensitive because Cyprus currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, giving it responsibility for representing the 27-member bloc in many diplomatic settings.
Turkey does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus and maintains no diplomatic relations with the EU member state. Ankara instead recognizes the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north of the island, following the island’s division in 1974 after Turkey invaded in response to a Greece-backed coup.
Diplomats said the tensions became visible during a March meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York, where the Turkish COP31 presidency reportedly did not invite Cyprus to a climate briefing and objected when Cypriot representatives attended alongside the EU delegation.
European diplomats and Cypriot officials said the incident was not isolated, describing a broader pattern of exclusion from informal COP31 preparations this year.
“They are doing informal meetings in the framework of COP31 for which we haven’t received any invitation,” a Cypriot official said.
The official added that the exclusion was incompatible with Turkey’s role as host nation for a United Nations event, arguing that all U.N. member states should be included in the process.
European diplomats echoed those concerns, with one diplomat saying the situation was “not mindful of the custodianship of the U.N. process.”
The disagreement has also complicated relations between Ankara and Brussels ahead of the summit, which is due to take place in the Turkish resort city of Antalya later this year.
According to diplomats, the European Commission raised concerns with Turkish authorities following the March incident. EU climate chief Wopke Hoekstra also reportedly discussed the issue with Turkish officials last month.
Diplomats further said Turkey has either ignored or rejected requests for bilateral meetings with the EU submitted by Cyprus in its role as holder of the Council presidency.
Despite the tensions, Cyprus has still participated in climate-related gatherings hosted by other countries, including meetings in Berlin and Copenhagen over the past month.
There is currently no indication that Cyprus will face restrictions from attending formal U.N. meetings connected to COP31 or the summit itself in November.
Some diplomats privately expressed relief that Ireland will take over the rotating EU presidency in July, months before the climate conference begins.
Turkey’s COP31 presidency did not respond to requests for comment. However, Turkish officials previously defended their handling of the March meeting by arguing that the gathering was not formally mandated by the United Nations and invitations were therefore at the organizer’s discretion.
COP31 is being jointly organized by Turkey and Australia, with Canberra overseeing negotiations while Turkey serves as formal host and conference president. Diplomats said there was no indication Australia was involved in excluding Cyprus.
Australian Climate Minister Chris Bowen recently stated that both Australia and Turkey were committed to ensuring COP31 would be “transparent, inclusive and collaborative.”
A European Commission spokesperson confirmed that Brussels had raised the matter with Turkey, Australia and the United Nations.
“We are in contact with the authorities of Türkiye and made it clear that the exclusion of a UN Member State from the preparation process of the UN COP31 climate conference is not acceptable,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that Turkey had assured the EU that Cyprus would not be excluded from future preparatory meetings and said the bloc would continue monitoring the issue closely.
