President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday returned to Turkey from the G20 summit in Rome, cancelling his planned attendance at the COP26 conference in Glasgow, according to state media reports.

The Anadolu state news agency and other media did not explain why Erdogan decided not to attend.

Turkey's parliament this year finally ratified the Paris climate agreement, and Erdogan has been stressing his concern for environmental issues ahead of a general election due within the next two years.

Erdogan's decision follows a crunch meeting in Rome on Sunday with US President Joe Biden, which the Turkish leader had expected to take place on the sidelines of the COP26 event.

The two leaders agreed to try to move past a range of disputes, including Turkey's purchase of a Russian air defence system and concerns about the state of human rights under Erdogan.

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G20 leaders meeting in Rome on Sunday committed to the key goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and pledged action on the use of coal, but fell short on a target of zero emissions, according to a final draft communique. The pledges by the Group of 20 major economies, who emit nearly 80 percent of carbon emissions, are viewed as crucial to the success of make-or-break UN climate talks taking place in Glasgow over the next fortnight. According to a draft communique obtained by AF ... read more