Erdoğan opens the COP31 Leaders' Summit, thanks Azerbaijan and Brazil and restates the 2053 net-zero goal

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the opening of the COP31 Leaders' Summit at the Antalya EXPO site on 11 November, the first COP leaders' summit Türkiye has hosted. He thanked UN Secretary-General António Guterres for his support, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for the partnership model built for COP31, and Azerbaijan and Brazil for sharing what they learned from their own COP presidencies.

Erdoğan said the conference halls are named after great figures of Turkish history, cultural heritage sites and natural landmarks. Türkiye is decarbonising every sector from energy and industry to transport and farming and is working towards net zero by 2053. Quoting the saying “even if you knew the world would end tomorrow, plant the last sapling in your hand”, he said no country is spared by the climate crisis. Awards for the “The World Is Our Common Home” short film contest will be presented on 14 November.