Azerbaijan Balances Climate Action With Regional Peace, Says Hikmet Hajiyev
Date
10/23/2024 10:09:43 AM
(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Akbar Novruz
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Azerbaijan remains committed to both climate action and
peacebuilding in the region, according to Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant
to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy
Affairs Department, Azernews reports.
As Azerbaijan prepares to host COP29, Hajiyev addressed recent
criticisms about the country's suitability as a venue for the
global climate summit, responding to claims of "greenwashing" made
by the financial Times. The official dismissed these critiques,
stating, "When Azerbaijan hosts COP29 next month, it will be the
28th time the climate summit has been held in an oil and gas
producer. Every host - bar Switzerland - has been involved in
extraction. Every country in the world - bar none - is a fossil
fuel consumer."
Hajiyev also highlighted that Azerbaijan's hosting of the event
was part of a groundbreaking agreement with Armenia. "Azerbaijan
never anticipated playing host this year; we expected our bid to be
vetoed by neighbor Armenia. Yet in an unprecedented deal last
December, Armenia agreed to back Azerbaijan as host as part of
ongoing peace talks."
While discussions for a peace deal continue, Hajiyev noted the
complexity of the process. "Border delimitation commissions are
active. Armenia's commission has recently accepted the Alma-Ata
Declaration... Critics calling this stalling should ask if they
would sign a peace deal while their former adversary still claims
their territory."
On the environmental front, Azerbaijan seeks to use COP29 to
champion a just transition away from fossil fuels, advocating for
increased financial targets through the New Collective Quantified
Goal. "Azerbaijan has seeded a climate fund, into which we expect
other oil and gas producing nations and companies to invest," he
said, emphasizing the country's efforts in shifting toward
renewable electricity.
One of Azerbaijan's key initiatives is a partnership with the EU
to develop an electricity cable linking wind power from the Caspian
Sea to Europe. "While we can't influence the demand that drives
foreign energy markets, we are reshaping the supply side," Hajiyev
said.
As the summit nears, Azerbaijan is positioning itself as a
leader in both peace and the global energy transition. "We are
walking the path to peace. At COP, we will advocate for new funds
to finance a just transition from fossil fuels to renewables,"
Hajiyev concluded.
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