EU Commissioner and German Minister Support Cyprus' Participation in COP31

European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, and German Environment Minister, Karsten Schneider, have expressed their support for the full and equal participation of Cyprus in COP31, which will be held in Antalya, Turkey, in November 2026.

The statements were made on the sidelines of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue 2026 in Berlin, where the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panagiotou, represented the Republic of Cyprus as the presiding country of the Council of the European Union.

Mr. Hoekstra stressed that any deviations from the principle of equal participation undermine the cohesion of the European Union. Mr. Schneider also highlighted the importance of smooth and inclusive participation of all parties.

Minister Panagiotou thanked the participants for their support and called on the Australian Presidency of the Negotiations to ensure the representation of the Republic of Cyprus at the highest level, inviting the President of the Republic of Cyprus to COP31.

It is noted that during preparatory meetings, Turkey had refused the participation of the Republic of Cyprus.