Turkey, the lone wolf of the climate change summit

This time Turkey was a more active or, let's say, a more visible participant in the climate change talks, said Ethemcan Turhan, who was in Paris during the two week summit that finally ended with an agreement.

In the past, Turkey usually would talk on the last day and repeat its same line asking for her special conditions to be recognized.

The fact that France has chosen to start COP21 with a summit at the level of heads of states and governments proved to be a good decision as it seems to have motivated countries to more actively participate.  With 149 members, Turkey's official delegation, which was the 27th biggest among 195, was involved from the process's beginning. The fact that Turkey has offered to host COP26, which will take place in 2020, was also seen as a positive step in the right direction.

But it seems the delegation's efforts were more focused on Turkey's own specific agenda than contributing to international efforts to reach an agreement.  And it seems that this position has forced Turkey to stands on its own, without being a part of any group of countries. 

For years, opinion polls have shown how Turks, feeling estranged from the East and the West, opt for an independent line in foreign policy without being party to an overarching alliance. What the world has witnessed in Paris watching the Turkish delegation seems to be truly the "lone wolf syndrome" in action. 

In addition to the already existing alliances like "umbrella group" and the G77+China, COP21 saw new alliances of countries, said Turhan, a researcher at the Istanbul Policy Center, like Vulnerable-20 or the "high ambition coalition."  Even Ukraine and Belarus, whom Turkey tried to convince to join hands, have defected to the high ambition...