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Türkiye is continuing its bid to host next year’s U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP31) as tensions persist with Australia over which country will be selected, Turkish officials said Monday.
Deputy Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister and Türkiye's chief climate negotiator Fatma Varank said the decision on the COP31 host would be announced soon and that Türkiye remained firmly in the race.
Speaking in Belem during ongoing COP30 meetings, Varank said Türkiye had actively participated in all negotiations related to the COP31 bid and maintained a constructive stance.
“Throughout the two-year candidacy process, the side seeking compromise has always been Türkiye,” she said.
Varank stated that Australia had repeatedly avoided compromise in earlier meetings, and when agreement was reached, “they stepped back and stalled the process.”
Varank noted that Türkiye and Australia both submitted bids in 2022 and have yet to withdraw, resulting in a deadlock that must be resolved during COP30.
She said Türkiye highlighted its own climate vulnerabilities, including rising temperatures, drought, floods, fires and other extreme weather impacts in the Mediterranean region.
Varank said Türkiye had even accepted that the pre-COP ministerial meeting take place in the Pacific region to acknowledge climate-fragile island nations, an issue Australia brought forward.
“Türkiye has always stood with vulnerable peoples,” she said, adding that Ankara had never reversed its positions or broken from the agreed text in negotiations.
She expressed disappointment that Australia publicly suggested Türkiye disrupted the process.
Varank said Türkiye expected the process to be concluded “soon” and hopes the decision will favor Ankara. “We will continue a constructive approach in global climate negotiations,” she added.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ruled out Türkiye's proposal to co-host COP31, saying it is not permitted under U.N. rules.
“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, which analysts said boosted Australia’s campaign.
Under U.N. rules, unanimity is required among the 28-country regional group responsible for selecting the host.
If neither Türkiye nor Australia gives way, hosting duties would automatically pass to Bonn, Germany, where the UN climate secretariat is based. German officials have stated they do not wish to host.
Australia has campaigned to host COP31 with Pacific island nations, several of which face existential threats from rising sea levels.
Albanese has written to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeking a resolution.
The annual COP summit is considered the world’s primary platform for advancing global climate action, with host countries setting the agenda and steering diplomacy toward collective agreements.
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