BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 23. Azerbaijan is committed to both climate action and peacebuilding in the region, said Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant of the President of Azerbaijan, Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, Trend reports.
As Azerbaijan prepares to host COP29 next month, Hikmet Hajiyev has responded to criticisms regarding Azerbaijan's suitability as a venue for the global climate summit. In a statement addressing recent claims of "greenwashing" by the Financial Times, the criticism, which labeled petrostates as unfit hosts for COP events, was dismissed as hypocritical by the Azerbaijani official.
"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," he pointed out.
He further emphasized that Azerbaijan's hosting of the event came about as part of an unprecedented agreement with Armenia. "Azerbaijan never anticipated playing host this year; we expected our bid to be vetoed by neighbor Armenia, which had occupied almost a fifth of our territory for 30 years. Yet in an unprecedented deal last December, Armenia agreed to back Azerbaijan as host as part of ongoing peace talks."
The official noted that while some hope for a peace deal to be signed before COP29, the process remains complex. "Border delimitation commissions are active. Armenia’s commission has recently accepted the Alma-Ata Declaration — a commitment to the sovereignty of borders among post-Soviet states agreed in the 1990s," the official explained, adding, "Critics calling this stalling should ask if they would sign a peace deal while their former adversary still claims their territory."
Despite uncertainties over a finalized peace agreement, Hajiyev emphasized that COP29 will still be a "COP of peace" because of the progress made in regional diplomacy.
On the environmental front, Azerbaijan is aiming to use its position as COP29 host to advocate for a just transition away from fossil fuels. The summit will focus on increasing the finance target through the New Collective Quantified Goal, which seeks to accelerate global efforts toward renewable energy. "Azerbaijan has seeded a climate fund, into which we expect other oil and gas producing nations and companies to invest," Hajiyev said, noting Azerbaijan’s efforts in moving from fossil fuel exports to renewable electricity.
One of the country's flagship projects is an electricity cable being developed in partnership with the EU, which will link 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," he remarked, highlighting the shift Azerbaijan is already making toward renewable energy.
As COP29 approaches, Azerbaijan plans to position itself as a leader not only in regional peace but also in 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, a shift we are already actively pursuing ourselves," Hajiyev concluded.