BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 16. Azerbaijan encountered slam campaigns during its COP29 hosting preparations, said Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Sahiba Gafarova, Trend reports.
She made the remark as she addressed the Parliamentary Meeting within the framework of the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and Azerbaijani Parliament. Sevil Mikayilova, the Vice President of the IPU from Azerbaijan and a member of the Azerbaijani parliament, is taking part in the event.
"Despite having less time than any other country for preparations – only 11 months – COP29 Azerbaijani Presidency has done tremendous work in engaging all interested parties, listening to their needs and understanding their expectations. But, unfortunately, during these preparations, our country has faced biased and groundless accusations, double standards, and disinformation campaigns by some countries and media platforms. Few national parliaments and inter-parliamentary organizations have also played their miserable role in these activities," she said.
Despite these unpleasant circumstances, COP29 has been successfully launched and continues its work with the engagement of all interested parties, Gafarova pointed out.
"Obviously, some forget the power of dialogue, cooperation, and solidarity in the face of common challenges. On the other hand, they still don’t understand that because of its critical importance, the issue of climate change cannot be a platform for displaying their narrow interests and politically motivated ambitions.
Our Parliamentary Meeting succeeds the World Leaders Climate Action Summit and several other substantial events and meetings. Action Agenda and 14 initiatives put forward by COP29 Presidency are the result of an inclusive process, demonstrates a comprehensive approach and brings everyone together in global climate action," she elaborated.