TEHRAN – The head of the Department of Environment (DOE), Shina Ansari, has met with Turkish officials to discuss ways to strengthen environmental cooperation between the two countries.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 31st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is being held in Antalya, Turkey, from November 9 to 20.
The discussions focused on exploring opportunities to expand bilateral collaboration in the environmental sector.
On Wednesday, Ansari held a meeting with Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, elaborating on the destructive impacts of the US-Israeli war against Iran, particularly explosions at fuel storage facilities, and the amount of toxic substances and greenhouse gases, underscoring that the implementation of constructive environmental programs depends on regional stability and security, IRNA reported.
For his part, the Turkish official highlighted the long-standing cultural commonalities between Iran and Turkey, voicing the country’s readiness for the expansion of collaborations in different sectors, including the environment.
Referring to the development of the Iran-Turkey joint environmental committee following last year’s Zero Waste Forum, which was held in Istanbul in October 2025, he called for the continuation of environmental cooperation, focusing on the protection of biological resources and habitats.
