Türkiye
COP31 leaders' summit opens in Antalya without Macron, Merz and Meloni
- What happened
- The leaders' segment of the UN climate summit COP31 opened in Antalya, hosted by President Erdoğan.
- Why it matters
- The absence of some leaders of major economies has raised doubts about the talks' ambition.
- What’s next
- Leaders' sessions continue on Thursday; the conference runs until 20 November.
How this story developed
- 09:02First report
- 12:362nd source
- 12:36Confirmed
- 12:52+2 outlets in 48 min
- 09:02First reportEuronews Türkçe
- 12:362nd sourceCumhuriyet
- 12:36ConfirmedWas: Single source
- 12:52Latest+2 outlets in 48 minHabertürk and A Haber
Full story
The summit
The Leaders' Summit of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) opened in Antalya, hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Citing a statement from Turkey's Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, Habertürk reported that the conference, running from 9 to 20 November, brings together the 196 countries that are parties to the convention and the European Union.
The ministry expected 102 leaders from 95 countries on six continents to attend the leaders' summit. Besides Erdoğan, the programme includes speeches by COP31 President and minister Murat Kurum, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Brazilian President Lula da Silva.
According to Euronews Türkçe, the conference meets amid growing pressure on governments after heatwaves in Europe, deadly floods in Nepal and large forest fires in Indonesia. The Leaders' Summit is the first high-level meeting held at the start of each COP.
According to Cumhuriyet, leaders at the summit aim to agree on a plan to raise electricity's share of global energy use and to revive the transition away from fossil fuels.
Who stayed away
According to Euronews Türkçe, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are not attending. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is in Antalya. Euronews wrote that British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is the only G7 leader scheduled to speak at the summit.
Cumhuriyet reported that the United States' seat was empty, as President Donald Trump calls global warming a hoax.
“This absence will not stop the negotiations, but it puts even more responsibility on the ministers and negotiators who are here.”
Chiara Martinelli, Director of Climate Action Network Europe, Euronews Türkçe(translated)
Euronews also noted that, according to a statement from Brussels this week, nine EU countries are not on track to meet their 2030 emission reduction targets.
The welcome and what comes next
According to Cumhuriyet, Erdoğan greeted the arriving leaders one by one. His welcome to von der Leyen in English, "Good morning, maşallah. How are you?", was caught on camera and trended on social media.
According to Euronews, leaders are holding bilateral meetings to discuss the positions they will take and to build alliances for the negotiations that run into next week. Leaders' sessions continue on Thursday.
According to Habertürk, the theme of the summit's first day was "Zero Waste". At the opening, the dance company Anatolian Fire performed a show combining folk dances from Turkey's seven regions in a single choreography, and COP31's official song, "Let's Cop", was performed.