The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Thursday the agency will fully support Türkiye's efforts to host COP31 in the coastal province of Antalya and will mobilize its expertise to help ensure the summit's success.
Fatih Birol spoke at a press conference in Istanbul alongside Türkiye's Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister and COP31 President Murat Kurum.
As an agency has 500 of the world's leading energy and climate experts, Birol pledged to "do everything in our power to ensure the success of COP31 in Antalya."
Birol noted that the IEA had served as a strategic partner at the past four COP meetings, saying, "I believe hosting COP31 is an extremely important opportunity for our country."
He highlighted four priority topics for the COP31 agenda: zero waste, the clean energy transition, urban transformation and Africa.
He also said Türkiye had put forward an inclusive vision for the summit. "I believe COP31 is also an opportunity for Türkiye to show the world the humanitarian reflexes of the Turkish people," he added.
The 31st session will be held in Türkiye in November, mainly in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, while the World Leaders Summit is expected to take place in Istanbul.
Türkiye will host COP31 through a partnership arrangement with Australia.
Nearly 200 countries are expected to gather in Türkiye to discuss the next steps in implementing the Paris Agreement, including updated emission reduction targets, climate finance, adaptation measures and carbon market rules.
- 'Global energy markets undergoing extremely critical juncture amid Middle East conflict'
Birol also referred to the IEA's decision announced Wednesday to release the largest volume of strategic oil reserves in the agency's history, saying, "Global energy markets are going through an extremely critical juncture due to developments in the Middle East."
"In particular, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused serious problems in global oil and natural gas markets," he added.
"To help address these difficulties, the IEA began releasing 400 million barrels of oil to the market yesterday," he said.
By Firdevs Yuksel and Handan Kazanci
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr
