On Thursday (20 June), EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra visited Azerbaijan as part of the preparations for COP29, which will be hosted by Baku in November 2024. He held several high-level bilateral meetings with government officials in Baku: Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mukhtar Babayev, Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov and Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov. Commissioner Hoekstra also met with representatives of civil society.
The main objective of the visit was to discuss the preparations, priorities and outcomes of COP29 with Azerbaijan as the future COP29 President. These include follow-up to the UAE consensus, climate finance, Article 6 and international carbon markets, adaptation and transparency reporting (countries will submit their biennial transparency reports this year).
He had a constructive and very insightful meeting with COP29 President-elect and Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mukhtar Babayev and the COP29 Presidency team. They also discussed how Azerbaijan plans to accelerate its own climate targets.
In the meeting with Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov, they discussed the importance of the EU-Azerbaijan strategic energy partnership and possible COP29 initiatives on renewables, hydrogen, methane, storage and networks.
The meeting with Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov focused on the priorities for COP29, plans for the Global Climate Action Agenda that will take place in parallel to the formal negotiations, and the importance of inclusivity for the COP. They also discussed human rights, civil society and the peace process.
During the meeting with civil society representatives, the Commissioner noted that the rule of law and human rights are at the core of the EU's values and that civil society is an important partner for cooperation. COP29 must facilitate the participation of civil society in the negotiations and the debate on a green transition.
This mission was an important step towards COP29 and meetings at technical and political level will intensify in the coming weeks and months. The Commissioner is grateful for the hospitality received and confirms that the European Union and the EU negotiating team will engage constructively at all levels to reach an agreement at COP29 in November 2024.
