The summit of leaders attending the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) began Wednesday in Antalya, Türkiye. Held under the chairmanship of Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the summit runs from November 11 to 12. Türkiye’s Ministry of Environment says 102 leaders from 95 countries across six continents are expected to attend.
On the eve of the summit, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, national leader of the Turkmen people and Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili arrived in Antalya. Antalya Governor Hulusi Şahin welcomed them at the airport.
The list published by Türkiye of countries represented at the leaders’ level also includes Russia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Moldova, Ukraine and Bulgaria.
Energy at the heart of the agenda
On the eve of the summit, Erdoğan met with Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. Türkiye’s presidential administration said the Turkish leader called for intensified cooperation in energy, trade, defense industry and investment, and noted that the Organization of Turkic States is growing stronger.
The energy transition is one of the main themes of Türkiye’s presidency. The “Action Agenda” that Türkiye will present at the summit contains 10 priorities, including zero waste by 2035, the transition to clean energy, climate-resilient cities and green industrialization. Türkiye and Saudi Arabia also signed a memorandum of cooperation in electricity in Antalya on the eve of the summit, establishing a framework for renewable energy projects with a combined capacity of 5,000 MW.
On Wednesday morning, the mehter military band of Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defense welcomed COP31 guests. In the video, conference participants film the performance on their phones, while some foreign guests dance along to the marching rhythms.
First-day program
Erdoğan and UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed arriving leaders at the entrance to the summit zone. After the traditional family photo, the heads of state and government will gather in Anadolu Hall, the largest plenary hall in the Blue Zone. At the opening, Erdoğan will present Türkiye’s climate vision. The program also includes speeches by Guterres, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The theme of the summit’s first day is “Zero Waste.” The conference’s official song, Let's Cop, will be performed during the ceremony, while the Anadolu Ateşi ensemble will present a performance combining folk dances from Türkiye’s seven regions. COP31 will continue until November 20.
Erdoğan: “We chose to light a candle rather than shake our fist at the darkness”
Speaking at the opening of the leaders’ summit, Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan thanked UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Brazil and “my brotherly Azerbaijan,” which passed on its experience of hosting previous conferences. Erdoğan said Türkiye was proud to host the COP leaders’ summit for the first time.
Erdoğan recalled that the world had made significant progress since the first COP conference in Berlin 31 years ago, but that success at the level of ideas had not yet translated into results in practice. “We have two choices before us: either look at the difficulties and complain, or hold on to hope and act. We chose to light a candle rather than shake our fist at the darkness,” he said.
The Turkish leader called COP31 an “implementation conference” and said that renewable sources accounted for more than 60% of Türkiye’s installed electricity generation capacity, adding that the country was continuing its drive toward carbon neutrality by 2053.
Photo: AA, Antalya Provincial Administration. Video: social media
