"In the context of COP, we don't have a co-presidency: Turkey is basically assuming the presidency, while Australia is responsible for the negotiations," Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum and president-designate of COP31, told journalists in Istanbul.

"In this context, Turkey and Australia have to work hand-in-hand. And Australia cannot take a decision which is not approved by Turkey, which will be serving as the COP31 presidency," he said.

The unprecedented arrangement was reached late last year to end a dispute about where it would be held. Turkey will host November's UN climate summit in the southern resort of Antalya while Australia will chair the negotiations.

Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, who also attended the news conference, refused to address questions over the ongoing Middle East war. The IEA said in its latest market report Thursday that the conflict had created the biggest oil supply shock in history.

Speaking in Turkish and limiting his remarks to COP31 energy issues, Birol said the world had entered "the era of electricity" and although renewable sources were important, nuclear was "indispensable as a technology".

Many nations had been hesitant to adopt nuclear power in the 15 years since Japan's Fukushima disaster, "but we are seeing a good comeback", he said.

"Right now, 70 gigawatts of nuclear plants are being built, this is the highest volume of nuclear plant constructions in the last four decades," Birol said.

"Renewables and nuclear will be the two backbones of clean energy."