Overview
- Turkish hosts have barred the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus from several informal COP31 preparation briefings and have ignored bilateral meeting requests from Nicosia.
- Brussels publicly called the move unacceptable and said the host must treat all 27 EU members equally because Cyprus currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union.
- The European Commission reported that Türkiye has assured it Cyprus will not be excluded from future COP31 preparatory meetings, though earlier exclusions already occurred.
- The dispute flows from Cyprus’s long-running division since 1974 and Turkey’s recognition of the breakaway northern authority, a stance that complicates applying standard UN host-state obligations.
- The episode risks practical delays for the November Antalya summit and could deepen EU‑Turkey diplomatic friction, so officials will be watching whether Turkish assurances lead to full, timely cooperation on logistics and meetings.