Cyprus receives invitation to UN Climate Change Conference in Turkey

Turkey has issued an invitation to the Republic of Cyprus to attend the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), scheduled for November 9-20, 2026, in Antalya. This development follows reports that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan initially attempted to exclude Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides by sending invitations to the leaders of 26 other EU member states, deliberately omitting Cyprus.

The attempted exclusion prompted significant diplomatic pressure from both Nicosia and Brussels, with the leadership of the European Council and the European Commission intervening to resolve the issue. According to reports from Rik and the newspaper Kathimerini, the Turkish organizing committee finally sent the official invitation to the Republic of Cyprus yesterday.

This dispute occurred against the backdrop of long-standing tensions between the two nations, despite a meeting held in May 2025 between Christodoulides and Erdogan in Tirana. The Climate Change Conference will host a high-level summit for heads of state on November 11 and 12, 2026, where the Republic of Cyprus is now confirmed to participate.