“This is unacceptable, and we will also not accept it. You deal with all of the 27, or none of the 27,” the Commission’s climate chief Wopke Hoekstra said to POLITICO on Thursday.
He added: “If you seek to host an international event, that trumps any national sensitivities you might be having.”
Turkey maintains no diplomatic relations with the Republic of Cyprus, the EU member country internationally recognized as the sole legitimate government of the entire island.
Instead, Ankara is the only government worldwide to recognize as independent the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north. The island has been effectively divided since Turkey invaded in 1974 in response to a Greek-backed coup.
The Commission also addressed the issue at Thursday’s press conference.
“We have made it clear that the exclusion of a United Nations member state from the preparation process of the U.N. COP31 climate conference is not acceptable,” said spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen. “Türkiye has assured us that Cyprus would not be excluded from future preparatory meetings for COP31.”