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16 March 2026
Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, attended the Global Baku Forum in Azerbaijan, where he held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines with Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov, UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan, and UN-Habitat Executive Director Anaclaudia Rossbach.
Following the panel session titled “Beyond Negotiations in Azerbaijan: The Battle to Keep COP Alive,” Minister Kurum engaged in several high-level discussions.
The first meeting, dedicated to Türkiye’s COP31 preparations and strategic vision, was held with UN-Habitat Executive Director Anaclaudia Rossbach.
Reflecting on the meeting via social media, Minister Kurum posted: “We shared our climate diplomacy efforts and our overarching approach to the COP process.
We are confident that our collaboration with UN-Habitat will grow even stronger, particularly with the support of the regional office to be established in Istanbul.”
Director of Climate Change Hasar Accompanies the Minister at the Meetings
Minister Kurum subsequently met with Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). In a social media update, the Minister noted: “I conveyed to Ms. Grynspan that Türkiye remains committed to supporting efforts that make global trade more sustainable. I emphasized that hosting COP31 represents a vital opportunity to enhance the synergy between global climate targets and development and trade policies.”
The Minister concluded his diplomatic engagements by meeting with Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov. Minister Kurum shared the following message: “We consulted on our ongoing initiatives in environment and urban planning with our friend and brother, Azerbaijan, and exchanged views on the COP31 Climate Summit process. Given the responsibility of our COP31 Presidency and our 2053 Net Zero vision, I have full confidence that we will further solidify our cooperation with Azerbaijan.”
Minister Kurum, who was accompanied throughout these meetings by Prof. Halil Hasar, Director of Climate Change, also visited the Baku Turkish Martyrs' Memorial as part of his official program in Azerbaijan.