As COP17 closes in Yerevan, attention turns to COP31, the UN climate summit in Antalya, Türkiye, on November 9–20 at the Antalya EXPO Center. It is a different convention (climate rather than biodiversity), but the question is the same: whether promises turn into delivery.

COP31 has an unusual leadership. Türkiye and Australia both bid to host, and neither would withdraw until a compromise at COP30 in Belém. Türkiye hosts and holds the presidency, chaired by its environment minister Murat Kurum, while Australia's climate minister Chris Bowen is "President of Negotiations" with exclusive authority over the talks. The Pacific gets a role through a pre-COP in Fiji and a leaders' event in Tuvalu. This is the first time the presidency has been split this way. Kurum insists the final decision rests with the presidency, and both ministers say the arrangement works smoothly. Analysts note that Australia is a major coal exporter and Türkiye a significant coal consumer, so it is unclear how much of the agenda will be shared.

The EU arrives with a firmer base at home but lower hopes. Environment ministers approved common positions for both COP31 and COP17 on October 12, and the EU adopted a legally binding 90% net emissions cut by 2040 in March 2026. Yet after the disappointment in Brazil, Brussels says Antalya should focus on implementation rather than big announcements. In Yerevan, its proposal to widen the donor list to emerging economies such as China was part of a finance stalemate.

The Armenia–Türkiye link is worth noting as analysis. The two neighbours are hosting back-to-back UN environment summits, while their relations are still being normalised. That process began in January 2022 and, by the Turkish side's account, gained momentum from March 2026 with Turkish Airlines flights. A Turkish ministerial delegation came to COP17, and Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı said COP31 would send "important messages" to the world. Ankara also cites steps on transport, energy, culture and direct trade, and the Gyumri–Kars power line has been discussed. Azerbaijan hosted COP29 in 2024, so the region has now hosted three major UN environmental summits in two years. Environment may be one of the few topics on which neighbours can meet without heavy baggage.

A host, though, is judged at home. Armenia arrives at the end of COP17 with a littered Sevan shore and forest losses in Shikahogh, Türkiye with its coal reliance. The credibility of both summits will depend on what follows the closing plenaries.