The Presidency’s Head of Communications Burhanettin Duran held a press conference on the sidelines of the Leaders’ Summit of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Antalya.
Recalling that Türkiye had hosted the NATO and Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) summits, Head of Communications Duran said:
“Now, by hosting COP31, Türkiye has demonstrated to both the world and the region that it is at the heart of diplomacy. COP31's motto is built around three pillars: dialogue, consensus and action. In other words, dialogue alone is not enough when it comes to environmental protection policies. Consensus must be reached, and that consensus must be translated into action. From this perspective, I would say that two issues stand out as the most important aspects of COP31. The first is climate justice. As you know, developed countries caused environmental damage worldwide during their industrialisation. They therefore bear a greater share of the responsibility. Rather than placing this burden on developing countries, responsibilities and resources must be shared, particularly in finance and technology, to protect the environment and combat climate change. Climate justice was therefore one of the key issues our President highlighted in his address. The other was the need to fulfil these responsibilities by putting commitments into practice. This was the second major point. Our President stressed this by saying, 'We will not simply pretend to act. The decisions taken must be implemented, and we will continue working towards that end.'"
"More than 20 bilateral meetings expected"
Head of Communications Duran stressed that the situation in Gaza must not be overlooked in discussions on climate change. Head of Communications Duran stressed that the situation in Gaza must not be overlooked in discussions on climate change. "Our President used a particularly important term. He said, 'The Netanyahu government has committed genocide in Gaza, but it did not stop there. By destroying olive trees, it has also committed ecocide.' I believe this is worth recalling," he said.
Duran also reported that Türkiye's successful organisation of COP31 had been raised during President Erdoğan's bilateral meetings, with visiting leaders expressing their gratitude to the President.
“Our President has held 10 bilateral meetings since arriving in Antalya. Tomorrow, too, there will be a very busy round of diplomatic engagements. He is expected to hold at least as many meetings, bringing the total number of bilateral meetings to over 20. He spoke at the Leaders’ Summit and delivered another address as well. As you know, previous COP presidents collectively voiced their support for Türkiye’s COP31 Presidency. We regard this as highly significant for the progress of the Summit.”
“4,000 members of the press are covering the Summit”
Head of Communications Duran noted that the Directorate of Communications is working with the United Nations on media accreditation for the Summit and said:
“Around 4,000 members of the press from five continents are covering this major Summit. We are very pleased that the Summit, which will continue until 20 November, is attracting considerable media attention. “We hope that the Summit, which continues with broad participation ranging from academia to civil society organisations (CSOs), will produce positive outcomes and will also have tangible results in practice.
As the Directorate of Communications, in addition to handling media-related activities, we have also produced a book on climate diplomacy, a glossary on climate change and a publication outlining the objectives of Türkiye's COP31 Presidency. We are conducting comprehensive efforts that include publishing books, bringing them to public attention, and countering disinformation."
"This Summit is larger than the NATO and OTS summits"
Head of Communications Duran noted that holding the Summit in Antalya, where blue and green come together in one of their most beautiful forms, was particularly valuable, and went on to say:
"In this regard, our Minister Murat Kurum has also made a significant contribution to these efforts, carried out under the leadership of our President." Viewed from this perspective, the scale of the work undertaken here is truly remarkable.” All the leaders recognise and appreciate that COP31 has been organised with significant investment and a great deal of effort.” Similarly, from a media perspective, our aim is to offer the nearly 4,000 journalists here the best possible hospitality and to convey strong messages on climate change from Antalya to the rest of the world. I have received positive feedback in this regard. Because a tremendous amount of effort has gone into this. Of course, Antalya is a province with considerable capacity. Indeed, we are talking about a summit larger in scale than the NATO and OTS summits. Therefore, we hope that members of the press, non-governmental organisations and all volunteers fighting for the climate will be satisfied with the summit experience and the services provided.''
Meanwhile, Head of Communications Duran shared his assessment of the COP31 Leaders’ Summit in a post on his NSosyal account.
In his post, Head of Communications Duran noted:
''In Antalya, where we are attending the COP31 Leaders’ Summit (#COP31Türkiye), we shared our assessments of Türkiye’s role in climate diplomacy and the significance of the Summit.
Under the leadership of our President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Türkiye is once again demonstrating that it is one of the key centres of international diplomacy by hosting COP31, following the NATO and Organisation of Turkic States summits. At the Summit, held under the motto ''Dialogue, Consensus and Action'', climate justice and the implementation of decisions taken are emerging as key priorities.
The fair sharing of responsibility in combating climate change and developing countries’ access to financing and technology are of great importance. As our President has stated, decisions on climate issues must not remain mere rhetoric but must be implemented through concrete actions. The environmental damage caused by the destruction of olive trees, alongside the genocide taking place in Gaza, must also be included in discussions on climate justice.
At COP31, which is being attended by approximately 4,000 members of the press from around the world, we, as the Directorate of Communications, are carrying out comprehensive work, ranging from media accreditation and providing accurate information to the public to publishing works on climate diplomacy and combating disinformation. We are contributing to the delivery of strong messages to the world from Antalya on combating climate change.
We attach great importance to ensuring that COP31, held under the leadership of our President and through the dedicated efforts of our relevant institutions, serves as a platform that delivers tangible results and strengthens international cooperation, both during the summit and beyond.”
