A diplomatic dispute over Cyprus’ participation in COP31 has drawn a sharp response from Brussels, after Nicosia said it was left out of climate summit preparations organised by Turkey.
The issue was raised by Cyprus during a meeting of EU climate ministers in Luxembourg, where member states discussed the bloc’s position ahead of the UN climate conference due to take place in Turkey in November.
According to Nicosia, Cyprus was not invited to two preparatory meetings linked to COP31, held in New York and Tokyo. The development has triggered concern within the EU that Ankara could attempt to limit Cyprus’ role in parts of the summit controlled by the host country.
EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said the bloc had sent a clear message to both the United Nations and Turkey’s representation to the EU that all member states must be treated equally.
Hoekstra said the other 26 EU countries stood behind Cyprus, stressing that the EU acts as a union of 27 member states and that no distinction between them would be accepted.
Turkey is hosting COP31, the annual UN climate summit attended by nearly 200 countries. Under the arrangement agreed for this year’s conference, Australia will lead the formal negotiations, while Turkey will serve as host and oversee several summit-related events and initiatives.
Although Ankara cannot block Cyprus from the formal UN negotiating process, Nicosia is concerned about Turkish-organised elements of the conference, including the leaders’ segment. That part of the summit is expected to be managed by Turkey in its capacity as host.
Cyprus’ Environment Minister Maria Panayiotou has warned that the exclusion from preparatory events raises questions about whether Cyprus will be treated properly when heads of state and government gather for the summit.
Ankara has rejected the suggestion that Cyprus is being excluded from official COP31 procedures. Turkish officials argue that Cyprus has been included in events organised through the UN process, including meetings in Bonn and Petersburg, but not in separate national-level events arranged by Turkey.
A Turkish diplomatic source said the meetings at issue were part of Turkey’s own preparation and outreach work ahead of the summit, rather than formal UNFCCC procedures. The same source said invitations to the COP31 Leaders’ Summit had not yet been issued to any country.
The dispute is rooted in Turkey’s refusal to recognise the Republic of Cyprus. Ankara remains the only government to recognise the Turkish Cypriot administration in the north of the island.
The row has already prompted warnings of a possible wider EU response. Poland’s deputy climate minister, Krzysztof Bolesta, said EU countries should consider staying away from the summit if Cyprus is treated unfairly.
Ireland, which will take over the EU’s rotating presidency next month, has called for the issue to be resolved through dialogue. Irish Climate Minister Darragh O’Brien said Dublin stood in solidarity with Cyprus, while adding that the dispute should not be allowed to escalate.
The timing is particularly sensitive for Nicosia, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency and is coordinating the bloc’s COP31 preparations until the handover to Ireland.
Source: Reeuters
