European Commission spokesperson for climate, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, has stressed that “the exclusion of a United Nations member state from the preparation process of the UN COP31 climate conference is not acceptable,” following criticism over the exclusion of the Republic of Cyprus from a preparatory meeting for the COP31 summit held at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The global climate conference is expected to take place at the Antalya Expo Center in Antalya, Turkey, from 9 to 20 November 2026.