PASOK MEP Professor Nikolas Farantouris, regarding Turkey’s provocative exclusion of Cyprus from a series of preparatory meetings ahead of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), which will take place November 9–20, 2026, in Antalya, Turkey.
Turkey bid for and won the right to host the COP31 International Conference next November. The previous Climate Conference (COP30) was hosted in Belém, Brazil, where PASOK MEP Nikolas Farantouris represented the European Parliament.
Ahead of this year’s Conference, Turkey began implementing a broader policy of excluding Cyprus from the event’s preparatory processes, refusing to send invitations to Cypriot authorities for key meetings, and even ignoring requests for bilateral contacts submitted by Cyprus on behalf of the EU in its capacity as holder of the EU Council Presidency.
As the Commission acknowledged, this exclusion is unacceptable and inconsistent with Turkey’s status as the host country of COP31.
PASOK MEP Nikolas Farantouris emphasized in his statement that “Turkey’s practice violates UN provisions and procedures and fails to respect Cyprus’s status both as an equal member of the UN and as the country holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU.” The PASOK MEP calls on the Commission to:
a) specific actions to ensure Cyprus’s equal and unimpeded participation in the COP31 processes, and
b) specific measures should new instances or tactics aimed at excluding Cyprus be observed.
*The United Nations Climate Change Conferences (COP)*
The United Nations Climate Change Conferences (COP) are organized under the auspices of the UN and constitute the highest decision-making body on climate change.
Greek MEP and University of Piraeus professor Nikolas Farantouris actively participated as a representative of the European Parliament at the Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, last November. During the proceedings and negotiations, he advocated for three key priorities:
a) phasing out fossil fuels, focusing on negotiations to reach a binding agreement to limit fossil fuel use.
b) A just green transition, arguing that the costs of the energy transition should not be borne by vulnerable households, but by powerful economic actors and those who have historically profited from fossil fuels.
c) Actions in the European Parliament, which were followed by a series of initiatives and events (“EU Climate Action: From COP29 Baku to COP30 Belem”), aimed at defining the European strategy against the climate crisis.
The PASOK MEP had strongly criticized the absence of high-level representation by the Greek government at the Conference, in contrast to Turkey, which had bid for and ultimately won the right to host this year’s Summit.