The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP31 opened in Antalya on Monday, with host country Turkiye calling for concrete global action on climate challenges, while Bulgaria is using its participation to promote regional cooperation in polar research and highlight its Antarctic programme.
At the opening ceremony, Turkish Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum outlined the growing impact of climate change, pointing to droughts, floods, water shortages, extreme heat and disruptions to food production and supply chains. He said these challenges were interconnected and called for greater international cooperation, stressing that climate policy was also development, food, energy and social policy. Kurum symbolically assumed the COP presidency from Brazil and outlined ten priority areas for Turkiye’s hosting of the conference, including clean energy, food security, climate-resilient cities, green industry, protection of seas and oceans, youth engagement and zero waste. Turkiye aims to increase the global electrification rate to 35% by 2035, halve waste and methane emissions, reduce energy consumption in sustainable buildings and cities by 25%, and raise the industrial use of recycled materials by 15%.
The conference, running from November 9 to 20, is expected to attract more than 1.5 million visitors, including nearly 100 heads of state and government, 300 ministers and around 90 delegations. Nearly 2,000 companies are also expected to participate.
Sergei Stanishev, former prime minister (2005 to 2009) and former Party of European Socialists president, took part in a discussion on the resilience and competitiveness of Central and Eastern Europe in the transition to green energy on Monday. Stanishev commented that the Balkans could become a driving force behind a successful European economy, while Bulgaria has the potential to become an exporter of solar-generated electricity to neighbouring countries.
As part of Bulgaria’s programme at COP31, Bulgarian Antarctic Institute President Prof. Christo Pimpirev and Turkish polar researcher Associate Prof. Dr. Ozgun Oktar presented plans to expand cooperation in polar research among Balkan countries. They highlighted Bulgaria’s role as a regional centre for such cooperation, supported by its Antarctic research base and research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421).
Pimpirev said the aim was to bring together the efforts of Balkan countries to study the polar regions, given the global implications of melting glaciers and rising sea levels. Researchers from Greece, Turkiye and Romania have already taken part in expeditions using Bulgarian facilities, while scientists from Montenegro, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina have also expressed interest in cooperation.
Oktar said Bulgarian-Turkish polar research cooperation had been active since 2013 and expanded to both the Arctic and Antarctic after Turkiye launched its own polar research programme in 2017. The two countries share available resources, with Bulgarian researchers joining Turkish expeditions and the countries providing access to their respective research vessel and aircraft. Both sides expressed interest in expanding cooperation through scientific programmes, exchanges and scholarships.
The first Balkan Scientific Conference, scheduled to take place in Aheloy, will feature 37 papers on polar research. Bulgaria’s pavilion at COP31 is hosting 20 events between November 9 and 20, with RSV 421 serving as a central part of the programme.
The Bulgarian research vessel, which arrived in Antalya after departing from Varna on November 4, is also scheduled to welcome students from several Turkish schools on Monday. Its crew will present its role in Bulgarian Antarctic expeditions and cooperation with the Turkish polar programme. The vessel transports cargo in support of Turkish research on Horseshoe Island, where the Turkish Antarctic Research Station is located, and will remain in Antalya until November 12 before continuing its voyage to Antarctica.
RSV 421 is undertaking its fifth voyage to Antarctica as part of the 35th Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition, supporting research at Bulgaria’s St. Kliment Ohridski base on Livingston Island.

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