ANKARA, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye is holding "intensive consultations" with a wide range of delegations, including developing nations and European partners, as it faces stiff competition from Australia to host next year's UN climate change conference, a senior official said Monday.
"We are working around the clock. Our message is that Türkiye is ready to take on responsibility and provide a platform where all voices, especially those most affected by climate change, can be heard. We are hopeful," the official spoke on condition of anonymity.
Australia and Türkiye both submitted bids in 2022 to host the 31st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31). Their competing candidacies have created a prolonged stalemate that participants hope to resolve at this year's COP30 meeting, which runs from Nov. 10 to 21 in Brazil's Amazonian city of Belem.
If consensus fails to be reached by the end of the Belem conference, Bonn, the German city that hosts the UN climate secretariat, will become the default venue for next year's summit.
According to media reports, Türkiye also proposed a "co-presidency" arrangement for COP31, which would involve sharing responsibility for hosting high-level meetings and jointly guiding the negotiations. But Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday dismissed the idea, saying UN rules do not allow joint hosting of the conference.
Australia is bidding to host the summit in the southern city of Adelaide alongside its Pacific Island neighbors, which face some of the most severe climate threats. It argues that climate impacts are already reshaping the region, and that hosting COP31 would help amplify the region's voices, perspectives and solutions for the benefit of both the region and the wider world.
At a climate summit held in Belem on Nov. 6-7, which served as a prelude to the COP30, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz stressed Türkiye's commitment to multilateralism and effective international institutions.
He pledged that Türkiye would advance the global climate agenda and assume a "bridging role" between the Global North and the Global South in tackling climate change.
Cagatay Tavsanoglu, a climate expert and professor at Ankara's Hacettepe University, noted that Türkiye's geographic position, at the crossroads of the Middle East, Europe, the Caucasus, and the Mediterranean, provides a unique vantage point for climate diplomacy.
He added that the country's bid to host COP31 aligns with broader shifts in its economic planning.
Hosting COP31 would "accelerate Türkiye's structural transformation" by positioning the country at the heart of international scientific collaboration, green-technology investment, and policy dialogue, he said, emphasizing that the transition to cleaner energy and climate-resilient development is now regarded in Türkiye as essential rather than optional or symbolic.
"It could provide Türkiye with a platform to highlight its strengths while openly addressing its challenges," he said.
Tavsanoglu added that the diplomatic effort also signals a shift in Türkiye's climate approach.
"It shows that climate policy has become an important part of Türkiye's foreign relations and domestic planning, and this represents significant progress regardless of whether the country ultimately hosts next year's summit," he added. Enditem
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