UN climate summit president invites Turkish first lady to Glasgow summit

NEW YORK

Alok Sharma, a UK government minister and the president of UN climate change summit COP26, invited Turkey's First Lady Emine Erdogan to the Glasgow summit in Scotland this November.

During their meeting on Tuesday at newly inaugurated Turkevi Center, or Turkish House, across the UN headquarters, Sharma praised Erdogan's leadership in climate and zero waste issues, saying it sets an example for the world countries.

He also stated that they carefully monitor Turkey's successful work on renewable energy and waste.

Sharma said they expect the first lady to also attend the 26th climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland to which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been invited.

Speaking on the importance of the world leaders expressing their determination to fight climate change in Glasgow, Sharma hailed Turkey's carbon neutrality target by 2050, adding that Turkey's ratification of the Paris Agreement will also strengthen the world's fight against climate change.

"Enjoyed meeting @EmineErdogan to discuss her work championing environmental issues in Turkey. Also discussed Turkey's climate plans and the need for all countries to demonstrate ambition ahead of #COP26," Sharma wrote on Twitter.

Climate crisis 'problem that transcends borders'

Turkey's first lady drew attention to the fact that the climate crisis is a problem that "transcends borders," pointing to the importance of global cooperation for a solution.

Erdogan said there are lessons to take from the recent disasters such as floods and fires due to climate change, adding that this issue is not only related to the environment, but also to the economy, textile, agriculture, health, and tourism.

She stressed that Turkey is a country with high environmental sensitivity, adding that serious steps have been taken in this direction in recent years, and that public awareness has become very high on this matter.

* Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev