Turkish president Erdoğan, UN chief discuss climate change

NEW YORK - Anadolu Agency

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U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed climate change in a video-conference call on Nov. 6, according to the world body.

The call focused on how to achieve a successful outcome at next month’s climate change conference in Paris, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.

During his attendance to the call from Turkish capital Ankara, Erdoğan stressed the importance of the G-20 Summit slated for next week in Antalya, ahead of the conference in Paris.

Stressing there were “great expectations” from the Antalya meeting, Erdoğan said: “As G-20 countries, we are in agreement to send a strong and constructive message from Antalya to Paris.”

Turkey currently holds the presidency of the G-20 group.

Financial means in fight against climate change should be enhanced, Erdoğan said, adding that a post-2020 climate change fund sponsored by developed countries must emerge for this purpose.

Nearly 200 governments are expected to descend on the French capital to agree on a deal to tackle global warming.

Included in Nov 6’s call were French President François Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Peru’s President Ollanta Humala and Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat via video-conference, Dujarric said.

The U.N. chief “received an update from President Hollande on the preparations of the Paris Climate Change Conference,” he added.