The leaders’ summit of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) opened today, Wednesday, in the Turkish city of Antalya under the chairmanship of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The summit will continue on November 11 and 12. According to Türkiye’s Environment Ministry, 102 leaders from 95 countries across six continents are expected to attend.
Erdoğan and UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the leaders as they arrived at the summit venue. Among them was Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whom Erdoğan asked in Arabic, “How is Syria?” Al-Sharaa replied, “Praise be to God.”
The footage shows al-Sharaa arriving at the reception platform in front of the UN and COP31 emblems and shaking hands with Guterres and then Erdoğan before the official photograph was taken. Antalya Governor Hulusi Şahin had welcomed al-Sharaa at Antalya Airport earlier in the morning.
Broad Arab and African participation
According to the Turkish authorities, the participating countries represented at the leaders’ level include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. North African participants include Algeria, Libya and Mauritania, alongside Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Mali, Tanzania, Mozambique, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as Iran and Pakistan.
Sudan’s Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and Iraqi President Nizar Amidi arrived in Antalya yesterday. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived this morning, and Antalya’s governor welcomed them at the airport.
Erdoğan and Guterres also welcomed Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, highlighting the strength of Turkish-Pakistani relations.
In the footage, Guterres says, “It is wonderful to see you both together,” as he shakes hands with the two leaders. Shehbaz Sharif replies, “We are brothers,” before the three stand together for the official photograph.
Türkiye’s vision and climate justice
Erdoğan will deliver the opening address in the Anatolia Hall, the largest hall in the Blue Zone, where he will present Türkiye’s climate vision. Guterres will also speak, along with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, whose country will host COP32, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
COP31 President and Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum said earlier this week that there can be no climate justice without peace, explaining that the Turkish presidency had not invited the Israeli government to the leaders’ summit.
During the summit, Türkiye is presenting an “Action Agenda” with 10 priorities, including achieving zero waste by 2035, transitioning to clean energy, building cities resilient to climate change and advancing green manufacturing. The first day of the summit carries the theme “Zero Waste” and includes an opening performance by the Fire of Anatolia folk dance troupe and the conference’s official song, “Let’s Cop.”
Erdoğan: “We chose to light a candle rather than curse the darkness”
In his address at the opening of the leaders’ summit, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said humanity was experiencing “perhaps one of the deepest existential crises in its history” because of excessive consumerism. He stressed that no country was immune to the effects of climate change, “from the Mediterranean basin to Africa, and from Asia to the small island states of the Pacific.”
Erdoğan said respect for nature was at the heart of Turkish civilization, citing the saying, “If you knew that the world would end tomorrow, plant the last sapling in your hands,” as well as the Turkish proverb, “Whoever cuts down a green tree is like one who cuts off a head.” He added: “We have two choices: either look at the difficulties and complain, or hold on to hope and take action. We chose to light a candle rather than wave our fists at the darkness.”
He affirmed that Türkiye was continuing along the path of green development toward its goal of carbon neutrality by 2053, and that renewable energy’s share of installed electricity capacity had exceeded 60%.
Photos: Anadolu, Antalya Governorship. Video: social media
