Türkiye is bidding to host the 2026 UN Climate Change Conference, Climate Minister Murat Kurum announced at Wednesday’s annual gathering in Azerbaijan.

"As chair, Türkiye will form a bridge between developed and developing countries," Kurum said at the Baku conference, known as COP29.

He did not specify which Turkish city is under consideration to host the conference in 2026.

The conferences rotate between the world’s regions. Next year, Belem in Brazil will host COP30 on behalf of the Latin America and Caribbean region. Türkiye is part of the Western Europe and Others Group, which will decide which country will host the conference.

Türkiye has felt the effects of climate change, with repeated extreme weather events, including heatwaves. Major Turkish lakes, such as Lake Van in the east and Lake Tuz in Central Anatolia, are drying up.

Speaking in Baku on Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye is committed to fighting climate change.

In October 2021, Türkiye became the last OECD and G20 country to sign the Paris Agreement on limiting the effects of climate change.

According to official statistics, 36.2% of Türkiye’s electricity was generated from coal in 2023, and 21% from natural gas. Hydropower contributed 19.3%, wind 10%, and solar power 7%.

The government aims for solar power to generate half of the country’s electricity by 2035.