Türkiye is pressing ahead with its bid to host next year’s U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP31), even as tensions with Australia continue over which country will be chosen, Turkish officials said Monday.
Deputy Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister and Türkiye’s chief climate negotiator Fatma Varank said the COP31 host would be announced soon, adding that Türkiye was still strongly in the running.
Türkiye has shown ‘consistent willingness for compromise’
Speaking in Belem during the ongoing COP30 meetings, Varank said Türkiye had been fully engaged in every negotiation tied to the COP31 bid and had kept a constructive approach throughout.
“Throughout the two-year candidacy process, the side seeking compromise has always been Türkiye,” she said.
Varank added that Australia repeatedly avoided compromise in earlier talks, and even after agreements were reached, “they stepped back and stalled the process.”
Varank said Türkiye and Australia both submitted their bids in 2022 and neither has stepped aside, creating a deadlock that now needs to be settled during COP30.
She explained that Türkiye underscored its own climate vulnerabilities, from rising temperatures and drought to floods, fires and other extreme weather events affecting the Mediterranean region.
Türkiye emphasizes climate vulnerability
Varank said Türkiye even agreed to hold the pre-COP ministerial meeting in the Pacific region to recognize the challenges faced by climate-fragile island nations, a point raised by Australia.
“Türkiye has always stood with vulnerable peoples,” she said, noting that Ankara had never backed away from its positions or deviated from the agreed text during negotiations.
People atend an activity at Türkiyes pavilion during the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Para State, Brazil, on Nov. 13, 2025. (AFP Photo)
Varank said she was disappointed that Australia publicly claimed Türkiye disrupted the process.
She noted that Türkiye expected the process to wrap up “soon” and hoped the outcome would favor Ankara. “We will continue a constructive approach in global climate negotiations,” she added.
Australia rules out joint hosting
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected Türkiye’s proposal to co-host COP31, saying U.N. rules do not allow it.
“No, we won’t be co-hosting because co-hosting isn’t provided for under the rules of the UNFCCC,” Albanese told reporters in Melbourne. “It has been ruled out.”
Australian climate minister Chris Bowen arrived in Belem on Sunday, a move analysts said strengthened Australia’s campaign.
Stalemate could shift summit to Germany
Under U.N. rules, all 28 countries in the regional group must agree on the host.
If neither Türkiye nor Australia steps aside, the hosting duties would automatically move to Bonn, Germany, home to the UN climate secretariat. German officials have already said they do not want to host.
Australia has been campaigning to hold COP31 alongside Pacific island nations, many of which face existential threats from rising sea levels.
Albanese has also written to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an effort to find a resolution.
The annual COP summit is widely seen as the world’s leading forum for advancing global climate action, with host nations shaping the agenda and guiding diplomatic efforts toward collective agreements.
Leave a Reply