Erdoğan: Paris climate deal won't be ratified unless EU keeps promises

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Saturday that the Turkish Parliament would not ratify the Paris climate accord before the EU fulfills its promises regarding this agreement.

Speaking to the press at the end of the G20 summit held in the northern German city of Hamburg, President Erdoğan pointed to previous French President Francis Holland's promises to Turkey about the deal.

"We signed the agreement, but during the negotiations process the former French president promised to define Turkey's status among the developing countries and then Turkey was supposed to be exempt from financial sanctions mentioned in the deal," President Erdoğan said.

"The agreement will not pass our Parliament if this promise isn't kept," he underlined.

According to the United Nations, 147 countries have ratified the agreement so far. Turkey was among the states to sign the agreement in New York following the COP21 conference in the French capital in December that saw states pledge to decrease their greenhouse gas emission levels. Ankara has promised to reduce its emissions by 21 percent over the next 14 years.

In June, U.S President Donald Trump said he was withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, striking a major blow to worldwide efforts to combat climate change and distancing the country from many allies abroad. Trump said the U.S. would try to negotiate re-entry on better terms.

Although the U.S. withdrew from the agreement, 19 of the G20 countries, including Turkey, reaffirmed support for climate change action and stand against the U.S.

The final statement of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, underlined that the other countries and the European Union support the Paris climate agreement. They called the deal to reduce greenhouse gases "irreversible" and vowed to implement it quickly and without exception.