Australian PM writes to Erdoğan over COP31 dispute
SYDNEY
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday that he had written to Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan in an effort to settle the ongoing dispute over which country will host next year’s COP31 summit.
Both Australia and Türkiye submitted bids in 2022 to host the United Nations climate conference and neither side has been willing to step aside.
When asked whether he believed Australia would ultimately be chosen as host, Albanese said: “There's no real process for finalizing the matter. I've written to President Erdoğan of Türkiye, we're continuing to engage."
Australia’s bid is supported by the Pacific Islands Forum, a regional diplomatic group of 18 countries, many of which face threats from rising sea levels. Albanese emphasized that Australia’s goal is to safeguard the interests of these Pacific nations.
Türkiye, for its part, has argued that its Mediterranean location could reduce emissions from flights transporting delegates and has highlighted that its oil and gas sector is smaller than Australia’s.
In July, the U.N. urged both countries to resolve the deadlock, describing the delay as unnecessary and unhelpful, and had set a June deadline for reaching an agreement.
The COP host rotates among five regional groups, and the decision for COP31 requires unanimous approval from all 28 members of the Western Europe and Others Group.
