Turkiye has this year been given the opportunity to host two major events that it views as significant for its foreign policy ambitions. In July, the NATO Summit was held in Ankara, while Antalya is currently hosting the UN’s COP31 climate change summit.
For Ankara, both of these events are significant beyond security and the climate. They offer significant opportunities for Turkiye’s international visibility. COP31 is particularly significant because it is the first time the country has hosted a climate summit, whereas the NATO Summit was previously held in Istanbul in 2004.
At COP31, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian were among the few leaders to attend. Unlike the NATO Summit, which US President Donald Trump attended in person, the Trump administration has not sent an official US delegation to COP31 due to its decision to withdraw from international climate commitments and its rejection of the direction of UN climate negotiations. Russia and China have both sent delegations.
Turkiye did not invite an Israeli delegation to COP31, arguing that climate justice cannot be separated from peace
COP31 has also brought together Iranian and European leaders.
