President Christodoulides attends COP31 summit in Antalya

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides attended the United Nations COP31 climate summit held in Antalya, Turkey, on November 11, 2026. During the event, Christodoulides addressed the plenary session, calling for accelerated reductions in emissions, a transition away from fossil fuels, and a tripling of renewable energy capacity by 2030 to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. He also highlighted the Nicosia Initiative for climate change in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.

The summit was marked by a diplomatic incident when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan left the reception area upon the arrival of the Cypriot president, thereby avoiding a joint photo opportunity with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Christodoulides. Diplomatic sources interpreted this move as a gesture of contempt toward the UN. Despite the tension, Christodoulides held bilateral meetings with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Chinese Environment Minister Huang Runqiu to discuss the Cyprus problem and EU-Turkey relations.

Following his activities in Antalya, President Christodoulides departed for Dublin to participate in meetings of the European Political Community and an informal European Council summit. The Turkish government had previously attempted to avoid inviting the Cypriot president to the summit, opting instead to invite Turkish Cypriot representatives.