Cyprus says it was left out of COP31-related meetings in New York and Tokyo, raising a diplomatic dispute ahead of the U.N. climate summit in Antalya.
The European Union has rebuked Turkey after Cyprus said it was left out of two preparatory meetings for COP31, the U.N. climate summit scheduled for November in Antalya.
According to Reuters, Cypriot officials told a meeting of EU climate ministers that Cyprus had not been invited to COP31-related meetings in New York and Tokyo. Turkish officials confirmed to the news agency that Cyprus had not been invited to events organized by Turkey. Turkey’s foreign ministry did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said EU countries had agreed “that we’re not going to accept” Turkey’s behavior, and that all 27 member states must be treated equally. Cyprus holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union through June 30, giving Nicosia a formal role in EU coordination before the summit.
Cyprus is also concerned about being left out of the World Leaders’ Summit, the high-level portion of COP31 attended by heads of state and government. Reuters reported that some EU countries may consider skipping COP31 if the dispute is not resolved.
Turkey cannot bar Cyprus from the formal U.N. negotiations. As host, however, it can control side events, access, logistics, and other parts of the summit around the official process.
The UNFCCC lists COP31 for Nov. 9–20 in Antalya. Under a compromise reached after Turkey and Australia both sought to host the summit, Turkey will host the conference while Australia is expected to lead the negotiations.
The dispute follows decades of tension between Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus. Turkey does not recognize the Cypriot government and recognizes only the Turkish Cypriot administration in the island’s north.
For Nicosia and Brussels, the concern is no longer limited to two missed meetings. It is whether a full EU member state can be kept away from the access, preparation, and leader-level diplomacy surrounding a major U.N. summit.