Turkey says it is ready to host COP31 on its own

Turkey has applied to host the next UN Climate Conference - COP31 in 2026 and is ready to lead it itself, if a consensus is not reached on the co-chairmanship model, Turkish diplomatic sources announced today.

Australia and Turkey, both candidates, are at an impasse over who will host the 31st United Nations Conference on Climate Change.

Since the host country must be chosen by consensus, no country will be elected unless one withdraws its candidacy, or they reach an agreement on sharing responsibilities.

In the absence of consensus, the summit will be held in Bonn, the West German city that hosts the UN climate secretariat.

Talks with Australia on the sidelines of the last annual session of the UN General Assembly initially brought progress, particularly on proposals for a joint presidency and joint high-level meetings, Turkish diplomatic sources said.

However, a letter from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected these proposals, citing UN rules against co-chairing and concerns about distracting from the COP's Pacific-focused agenda.

"Turkey continues to advocate for the co-chairmanship model as a way to strengthen multilateralism, but is ready to organize the conference independently if consensus is not reached," diplomatic sources said, adding that Erdogan expressed this position in his response to the Australian Prime Minister.

World leaders met in Belem, in northern Brazil, on November 6th and 7th for the summit that opened COP30.

Erdogan and Albanians did not attend, but Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz was present.

Brazil has appointed a representative to try to resolve the differences between Australia and Turkey, but according to diplomats, no progress has been made so far towards reaching an agreement before the close of COP30 - on November 21.

Some observers see Turkey's close ties with Russia and Saudi Arabia - countries perceived as obstacles to the fight against climate change - as a potential drawback.

Turkey wants to focus COP31 on the world's most vulnerable regions, with possible special sessions dedicated to Pacific issues, according to the same source.

Ankara calls on all parties to advance a process based on "constructive dialogue and mutual respect".