OMM Newsroom
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed world leaders’ climate commitments at COP31 on Thursday. He held a series of high-level meetings covering regional security, trade and energy cooperation.
Erdogan described pledges made at the leaders’ two-day summit as an “encouraging sign” of progress toward the goals of the Paris Agreement and urged governments to turn their commitments into practical action, AnewZ reported.
The Turkish president met with the leaders of more than 10 countries. Their talks covered issues ranging from the Iran-US conflict and regional security to energy and international trade.
Regional security and diplomatic efforts
At a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Erdogan called for an end to military operations and a return to negotiations to achieve a lasting diplomatic solution.
At a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the sides discussed regional tensions, defense cooperation and transport links. Erdogan praised Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts to ease the ongoing conflict and reaffirmed Ankara’s support for a peaceful settlement.
Cooperation with African and regional countries
During talks with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, Erdogan said Turkey would continue to support Libya’s territorial integrity and was ready to expand energy cooperation.
Issues concerning Sudan were discussed at a meeting with military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Erdogan reaffirmed Turkey’s support for Sudan’s territorial integrity; the sides also discussed defense, investment and agriculture.
Meeting with Iraqi President Nizar Amidi, the Turkish president highlighted progress on the Development Road Project, a major transport initiative intended to connect Iraq with international markets via Turkey.
In talks with Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili, Erdogan stressed the importance of expanding trade and strengthening trilateral cooperation with Azerbaijan.
Meetings with the leaders of Somalia, Tanzania, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo focused on economic partnerships and regional stability.
Implementation of climate commitments discussed at COP31
During the diplomatic meetings, Erdogan urged countries to continue efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
He also highlighted the “Climate Implementation Bridge” initiative, which aims to turn climate commitments into practical measures by strengthening cooperation between governments and financial institutions.
Turkey is hosting COP31, while Australia is leading the official negotiations. The conference will run until November 20, with discussions focused on emissions reductions, climate finance and adaptation measures.
Adopted in 2015, the Paris Agreement aims to keep global warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels while pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C.
Despite renewed political commitments, negotiators remain divided over the scale of climate financing and how quickly countries should reduce emissions.
