Published December 08,2025

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The UN Environment Program (UNEP) is eager to establish deep cooperation with Türkiye, which will host next year’s climate change conference, said Inger Andersen, executive director of the agency.

Speaking to Anadolu on the sidelines of the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) in Nairobi, Andersen assessed global climate achievements and Türkiye’s upcoming COP presidency.

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Paris Agreement, Andersen said: “We haven’t achieved everything we would have wanted by any means, but we have made some progress, and next year in beautiful Türkiye we will make further progress.”

She reaffirmed that the Paris Agreement is working, pointing to the COP30 decision taken in November in Belem, Brazil, to triple annual adaptation finance flows to $1.3 trillion by 2035.

Although COP30 did not produce a fossil fuel phase-out roadmap, Andersen said momentum has been building since countries agreed in Glasgow (2021) to phase down unabated coal power, and in Dubai (2023) to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems.

She expressed confidence that Türkiye and Australia will work with Brazil to deliver the fossil fuel phase-out roadmap originally proposed by the latter, adding that around 80 countries have already signaled support. “There is still some work to be done,” she said. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

COLLABORATION WITH TÜRKİYE AHEAD OF COP31

Andersen voiced strong enthusiasm for cooperation with Türkiye, saying: “UNEP will very much look forward to deep collaboration with Türkiye, which will chair COP31.”

Describing Türkiye as “a powerful country in a magnificent location” and “a real bridge between east, west, north and south,” she praised its diverse ecosystems “ranging from deserts to mountains to oceans” and its rich biodiversity.

“Türkiye has a lot of renewable energy from hydropower, but it also has magnificent wind velocity and therefore a lot of opportunity for wind,” she added.

Andersen also commended first lady Emine Erdoğan’s global leadership on zero waste, noting that the UN General Assembly adopted the Turkish-initiated resolution in December 2022 and proclaimed March 30 every year as International Day of Zero Waste.

Türkiye, she said, is on a development path that continues to integrate social considerations alongside economic growth.

ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT OF AI

Andersen said the environmental impact of AI was among the key topics discussed at UNEA-7.

“What about the environmental footprint of AI, and how can we minimize that while we maximize the environmental goods that AI can deliver in terms of efficiency and effectiveness for environmental protection?” she asked.

“AI for good can be a massive solution provider, but we need to think about the circular economy for the metals and rare earths required for this technology, and we need to be very mindful about the energy sources powering it,” Andersen said.

Published December 08,2025

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The Libyan parliament has denounced Greece’s call to cancel a memorandum of understanding signed between Tripoli and Ankara in 2019 on maritime boundary delimitation, describing it as “a clear violation of national sovereignty.”

On Sunday, during his meeting in Athens with his Libyan counterpart Aguila Saleh, Greek Parliament Speaker Nikitas Kaklamanis said the 2019 Türkiye-Libya maritime agreement must be revoked.

“We followed with astonishment and disapproval the repeated statements made by Greek officials, the latest of which were attributed to the Speaker of the Greek Parliament that contained explicit calls to interfere in Libya’s internal affairs,” Misbah Ouhida, the second deputy speaker of the Libyan parliament, said in a statement.

Ouhida called the Greek speaker’s remarks “a clear violation of national sovereignty.”

He affirmed his respect for “the principles of good neighborliness and bilateral relations based on mutual respect.”

“Libya is a fully sovereign state and alone knows its supreme interests and how to protect them,” he said, rejecting “any form of interference in Libya’s sovereign decisions or any attempt by an external party to impose political directives on it.”

The agreement concerns the delimitation of maritime boundaries between Libya and Türkiye. Greece claims that the deal constitutes an “assault” on its exclusive economic zone.

Regarding the agreement with Türkiye, Ouhida said agreements concluded by the state “are sovereign decisions governed by international laws and norms, and no country has the right to dictate Libya whether to ratify, abandon, or cancel them.”

He urged “the Greek side to exercise restraint, respect Libya’s sovereignty, and stop attempts to interfere in Libya’s internal affairs.”

Published December 08,2025

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Türkiye on Monday congratulated Syria on the first anniversary of the end of the civil war and the fall of the Bashar Assad regime.

“On the first anniversary of 8 December 2024, marking the end of the civil war in Syria and the fall of the Assad regime, we wholeheartedly congratulate the Syrian people as they celebrate their Liberation Day,” a Foreign Ministry statement said.

“Over the past year, despite facing numerous challenges, the Syrian Government has pursued a prudent and peaceful foreign policy and taken lasting steps toward securing the respected position that Syria rightfully deserves in the international arena,” the statement said.

It underlined that Türkiye will continue to support efforts to establish security, stability and prosperity in Syria.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia last December, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

Published December 08,2025

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In a milestone for Türkiye’s rising space diplomacy, Turkish Space Agency (TUA) President Yusuf Kıraç has been unanimously elected to lead the APSCO Council for the 2026-2027 term, becoming the first Turkish official to head the organization.

In a statement Sunday, the Turkish Industry and Technology Ministry said Kıraç’s election at APSCO’s (Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization) 19th Council Meeting in Bangkok marks a historic milestone, noting that no Turkish representative had ever held the council presidency before.

The ministry described the decision as a clear reflection of Türkiye’s growing influence in regional and global space governance.

APSCO promotes the peaceful use of space, capacity-building, joint satellite programs, training schemes and technical cooperation among member states. Türkiye has increasingly become a prominent contributor to these technical, diplomatic and academic initiatives, the ministry added.

It said TUA’s active participation has positioned Türkiye among the leading actors in joint projects, human resources development programs and data-sharing mechanisms.

Kıraç’s new role is expected to further boost Türkiye’s strategic weight within APSCO, deepen multilateral satellite and ground systems efforts, and enhance regional space capacity through collective projects.

TÜRKİYE EMERGES AS ACTIVE ACTOR IN GLOBAL SPACE DIPLOMACY

The statement also noted that Kıraç was elected vice president of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) during the 76th International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, becoming the first Turkish representative to serve in the IAF’s governance structure.

“When assessed together — APSCO Council presidency, IAF vice presidency, and Türkiye’s hosting of IAC 2026 in Antalya — it is clear that Türkiye’s diplomatic, institutional and scientific capacity in the space field is rising comprehensively,” the ministry said.

“This three-pillar structure shows that Türkiye is not only developing space technologies but is also becoming an active global actor in space diplomacy and governance,” it added.