Cyprus Reportedly Receives Invitation to COP31 Summit in Antalya
A government source says Cyprus has received an invitation to the COP31 summit in Antalya after a months-long dispute.
Cyprus has reportedly received a letter inviting it to the UN climate summit in Antalya, a government source told the Cyprus News Agency on Sunday, 11 October 2026. The source was responding to an article in the Greek newspaper Kathimerini. It claimed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent personal letters to the leaders of 26 EU member states, inviting them to the leaders’ meeting at COP31 on 11 November.
The report matters because it follows months of dispute over whether Cyprus, an EU member, would take part in the summit hosted by Türkiye.
What the government source said
According to the source, Cyprus was originally left out of those exchanges, and the source would not say who sent the invitation it received. The source said the letter followed “systematic and coordinated” diplomatic action, with European institutions and member states in support.
European backing had been practical, the source said, and rested on a firm common position: the full and equal participation of an EU member state in international processes cannot be questioned or restricted unilaterally.
Because the source is unnamed and did not identify the sender, the invitation has not been confirmed by the Turkish side or the COP31 Presidency.
Background: a dispute that built since spring
The dispute has been building since spring. In March, Cyprus was reportedly not invited to a COP31 briefing at UN headquarters in New York. Politico reported, citing diplomats, that Türkiye objected when Cypriot officials tried to attend with the EU delegation, and that Ankara ignored or rejected meeting requests made on the EU’s behalf while Cyprus held the EU council presidency.
In April, the EU expressed “serious concern” after Cyprus was reportedly denied a place at a COP31 meeting chaired by Turkish environment minister Murat Kurum on 27 March. Türkiye defended its position, arguing that the meetings were not held under a formal UN mandate and that invitations were at the organiser’s discretion.
In June, Turkish diplomatic sources told Reuters that Cypriot delegations had been invited to all COP31 events under UN coordination.
EU reaction
The row drew sharp responses from EU officials. The EU’s climate spokeswoman called the earlier conduct unacceptable and inconsistent with the status of the country hosting COP31. After a meeting of EU climate ministers in June, Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said the bloc would not accept Cyprus being left out.
Individual member states also spoke up. Poland’s environment minister, Krzysztof Bolesta, said that if Cyprus were treated unfairly, EU members should not go to Türkiye. Ireland’s climate minister, Darragh O’Brien, said his country stood in full solidarity with Cyprus.
Who runs the summit
Türkiye is co-hosting the summit with Australia. Kurum chairs COP31, while Australian climate minister Chris Bowen presides over negotiations between political leaders. Bowen has pledged that the summit will be transparent, inclusive and collaborative.
Türkiye will host COP31 in Antalya from 9 to 20 November 2026 and holds the conference presidency. Heads of state are due at a World Leaders’ Summit in Antalya on 11 and 12 November.
What the rules say
A host country has no right to unilaterally exclude a UN member state from the negotiations. Side events and agreements during the 12-day summit are less clearly governed. That distinction helps explain why earlier disputes centered on briefings and meetings rather than the formal negotiations.
There is also a precedent. Cyprus’s president, Nikos Christodoulides, was received as president of Cyprus at COP29 in Baku in 2024, despite Azerbaijan’s close ties with Türkiye.
Why it matters for COP31
The dispute comes as the presidency tries to build momentum for the summit. At the Pre-COP31 meeting in Fiji this month, Türkiye and Australia agreed to prepare a comprehensive presidency decision aimed at keeping the 1.5°C goal within reach. A smooth, inclusive summit would help that effort, while an unresolved row with an EU member could distract from the climate agenda.
Conclusion
The invitation, if confirmed, would ease a dispute that had drawn EU attention. Official confirmation from the governments involved is still needed, since the report relies on a government source speaking to a news agency, and the source did not say who sent the letter. With COP31 opening on 9 November and the leaders’ meeting on 11 November, the next few weeks should show whether Cyprus’s participation is settled on the same terms as other EU members.
