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16 November 2024

Fatma Varank, Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and Türkiye’s Chief Climate Negotiator, shared her evaluations regarding Türkiye's strategic participation in the conference. Chief Negotiator Fatma Varank indicated that Azerbaijan organized COP29 with exceptional precision, demonstrating high-level hospitality in both logistics and the facilitation of multilateral negotiations. Highlighting that Türkiye maintained a robust high-level presence at COP29—led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and supported by ministers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, academics, and NGO representatives—Varank pointed out that the nation was represented by two distinct pavilions established in different zones of the summit.

Varank emphasized that the Turkish Pavilions drew significant interest from international attendees, remarking: "The Turkish Pavilion in the Blue Zone saw broad-profile participation. We hosted as many as seven or eight panels in a single day. We ensured that nearly every sector in Türkiye was granted representation here, providing them with a platform to showcase their domestic environmental and climate change initiatives."

Varank Explained that representatives from nearly all Turkish ministries participated in the core COP29 negotiations, saying: "We worked with all our strength to secure COP decisions that align with Türkiye's national interests." "Türkiye is a candidate to host COP31,” she added. "We maintained an intensive diplomatic schedule to support this, consulting with representatives from almost every country. I believe we have successfully communicated Türkiye's goals, vision, and purpose for the COP31 Presidency."