Turkey ratifies Paris climate deal ahead of key summit

Ankara had not ratified the landmark agreement for five years, arguing it should not be considered a developed country.

Turkey ratified the Paris climate accord on Wednesday, joining the global fight against climate change weeks before the start of a critical summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

Though Turkey was among the first countries to sign the Paris Agreement in 2016, it held off ratifying it as it sought to be reclassified as a developing instead of developed country to avoid harsher emission reduction targets and benefit from financial support. It was among six countries — including Iran, Iraq, Eritrea, Libya and Yemen — to not ratify it.

On Wednesday, 353 members of Turkey’s parliament ratified the agreement unanimously.