Erhürman and Christodoulides head to Antalya for COP31

Erhürman said he had received an invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 14 July. He said he had learned from media reports that Christodoulides would also attend, adding that diplomacy and dialogue were always welcome.

Christodoulides confirmed he would attend despite Türkiye’s refusal to recognise him as head of state. He said the Republic of Cyprus had always taken part in such international summits.

The two leaders met on Monday in the UN buffer zone in Nicosia with UN envoy María Ángela Holguín. They agreed to open the Akıncılar–Limya and Kambo–Gemikonağı crossings simultaneously.

COP31 opened on Monday and runs until 20 November, with the leaders’ summit scheduled for 11 and 12 November. Türkiye is hosting the conference under a partnership with Australia. Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum presides over COP31, while Australian Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen leads the negotiations