On 20 June, EU Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra visited Azerbaijan to discuss the preparations, priorities, and deliverables of COP29 to be hosted in Baku in November 2024.
Wopke held several high-level bilateral meetings in Baku with representatives of the government, and met with civil society representatives.
According to a press release by EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, Wopke had a “constructive and very insightful” meeting with COP29 President-designate and Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mukhtar Babayev and the COP29 Presidency team. They also discussed how Azerbaijan plans to fast-forward its own climate targets.
At the meeting with Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov, the sides discussed the importance of the EU and Azerbaijan’s strategic energy partnership and possible COP29 initiatives on renewables, hydrogen, methane, storage, and grids.
The meeting with Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov focused on the priorities of COP29 and the plans for the Global Climate Action Agenda. They also discussed human rights, civil society, and the peace process.
During the meeting with civil society representatives, the Commissioner said 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 of cooperation”, adding: “COP29 will need to facilitate civil society participation in the negotiations and the debate on a green transition.”
“This mission was an important step on the road to COP29 and meetings at the technical and political levels will intensify in the weeks and months ahead,” the EU Delegation said. “The Commissioner is grateful for the hospitality received, and affirmed that the European Union and the EU negotiation team will constructively engage at all levels to forge an agreement at COP29 in November 2024.”
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