UN chief praises Türkiye's organization of COP31 climate summit
Guterres also accused Israel of obstructing the Gaza peace plan and of seeking to annex more West Bank land.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised Türkiye's organization of the COP31 climate conference in the southern city of Antalya on Tuesday, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
Guterres told Anadolu that he had attended many COP summits and had been "genuinely impressed by the high quality" of Türkiye's organization of the event.
The annual UN climate conference began on Monday and runs through Nov. 20, he said.
Turning to Gaza, Guterres said Israel has been obstructing the peace plan for the territory and blocking effective humanitarian aid from reaching people in need.
He also said Israel shows a clear intention to seize more and more land in the West Bank, adding that he believes the ultimate goal is annexation.
The Conference of the Parties, known as COP, is the yearly meeting held under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, where countries negotiate responses to global warming.
Previous talks, including COP30 in Belém, Brazil, in 2025, have focused on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and helping poorer countries cope with climate impacts.
The United Nations has repeatedly criticized Israel's settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and has called for unhindered aid access to the territory.
