When Egypt hosted the event in 2022, activists used the event to highlight the government’s crackdown on political opponents. Last year, there was widespread criticism when the United Arab Emirates, host of COP28, appointed the man responsible for increasing the country’s oil and gas production to lead the negotiations. Likewise, the new president of COP29 is a former executive in Azerbaijan’s oil and gas industry – although he was later appointed to head the country’s ecology ministry.
Yet Baku has made no apologies for its intention to use the conference to promote its own economic interests. Aliyev used his speech as host of the talks to call his country’s natural gas reserves a “gift from the gods” and to push for more investment in the fossil fuel industry, in addition to renewable projects – climate critics be damned.
“As the leader of a country rich in fossil fuels, we will of course defend the right of these countries to continue their investments and to continue their production,” he said.
“The Petrostates are perfecting a sinister COP playbook,” said Patrick Galey, a fossil fuels investigator at Global Witness, a human rights NGO. “Just like the UAE, Azerbaijan is planning a massive increase in its gas production. Like the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan plans to legitimize its authoritarian rule by hosting these global negotiations. And just like the UAE, Azerbaijan appears ready to use the COP to expand its international trade relations. »
Fresh from its own military conflict, Azerbaijan intends to brand COP29 a “Peace COP,” focusing on preventing climate-fueled conflicts and championing green solutions to geopolitical problems. “This presents a great opportunity for Baku, often accused of pursuing a militaristic foreign policy, to present its peace plan,” said Murad Muradov, a researcher at the Topchubashov Center in the Azerbaijani capital.
However, he added, Aliyev is unlikely to respond well to criticism of his own record.
Politico
