Cypriot MEPs accuse Turkey of obstructing presidential participation in COP31

During a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, Cypriot MEPs Georgios Georgiou and Costas Mavrides formally accused Turkey of attempting to obstruct the participation of the President of the Republic of Cyprus in the upcoming COP31 UN Climate Change Conference, which is scheduled to take place in Antalya.

MEP Georgios Georgiou, representing the Left Group, characterized the Turkish actions as a political attempt to promote the separatist entity in the occupied territories of Cyprus. He further criticized the European Union's response to Ankara, questioning the effectiveness of EU institutions regarding regional issues, including the Turkey-Libya memorandum. In response to the allegations, the Irish Presidency of the European Union stated that all EU member states have been officially invited to the conference.

Beyond the diplomatic dispute, Georgiou emphasized the urgency of the climate crisis, citing extreme weather events such as wildfires, heatwaves, and droughts. He called for concrete actions rather than promises, stressing that climate policy must prioritize social justice and inclusivity. While the MEPs raised these concerns in the European Parliament to highlight regional tensions, there was no mention of an immediate resolution to the impasse regarding the presidential attendance.