Azerbaijan’s COP29 triumph: Turning smear campaigns into global success Defamers couldn’t find a black cat in a dark room

The mood of those who predicted the failure of the recently concluded UN Climate Conference COP29 in Baku has dramatically changed. Months before the event, a smear campaign was launched against both the conference and Azerbaijan, which was hosting it. Efforts were made to find any excuse for harsh criticism of our country. The goal was clear: to derail COP29.

That was the maximum objective. It failed. There was, of course, a less ambitious goal— to secure a boycott of COP29 by as many heads of state and prime ministers as possible. Here, too, the detractors faced a setback. Delegates from almost 200 countries, including top European leaders and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, arrived in Baku.

So, what was left for Azerbaijan’s detractors to do? They hoped that no significant decisions would be made at COP29. This would have been a kind of "consolation prize" for those who worked tirelessly to broadcast to the world the "failure" of the climate conference. However, as it turned out, these hopes were also in vain. One of the key decisions of the conference was the setting of a new climate goal – $300 billion per year by 2035 for developing countries.

Moreover, at COP29, a decision was made to ensure the full functioning of the Loss and Damage Fund, which was eagerly awaited by developing countries, including small island states, least developed countries, and African nations. This decision reflects the priority set by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who emphasized the importance of addressing the impacts of climate change on small island nations during Azerbaijan's presidency of COP29. Currently, the total pledged financial support for the Fund exceeds $730 million. Thanks to the progress made, the Fund will be able to begin financing projects in 2025. This is a significant achievement for Azerbaijan within the framework of its COP29 presidency. Against this backdrop, it is difficult to criticize the outcomes of COP29 without coming across as a simple liar. And that is why we now see attempts to find a speck in our country's eye.

And then we read a publication in the BBC, which reports that at COP29 "a compromise was reached on Sunday, but almost everyone remained dissatisfied." I must point out that it’s normal for some people to be dissatisfied with the outcomes of large political, economic, sports, or music events. The Summer Olympics in Paris ended with so many stones thrown at the host country that even Emmanuel Macron, who never did take a plunge in the Seine, almost deserved sympathy. And this time, the BBC explains what happened at COP29. According to them, "Western politicians face problems at home due to rising costs of combating the climate crisis, as public and state incomes have been undermined in recent years by post-COVID inflation, the energy crisis, and the consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine."

Developing countries indeed hoped for an amount greater than $300 billion. Their demands ranged from $500 billion to $1 trillion. However, domestic media also reported that the leading Western countries showed cynical greed when it came to spending on solutions to global-scale problems. Therefore, all the claims should be directed at these Western countries. Azerbaijan, as the host country of the UN event, did more than what was possible to make breakthroughs in climate security. And, in general, this breakthrough was achieved.

In Armenia, the obvious is already being loudly acknowledged — COP29 has strengthened Azerbaijan's position in the world. Furthermore, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in his statement, expressed gratitude to the Azerbaijani government for its outstanding leadership in such an important process. Finally, outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden also thanked Azerbaijan for successfully organizing COP29. He congratulated the parties and the COP29 president for achieving this significant result and emphasized that COP29 became a platform for reaching yet another historic consensus.

As we can see, any attempts to search for a black cat in a dark room, in full accordance with Confucius' saying, are nothing more than a waste of time. The only option might be to try to put a fly in the ointment. The strategy of those who were eager to trumpet the failure of COP29 is the same—putting on a brave face despite the unfavourable situation. Azerbaijan is unaffected by these antics. Our country has already received numerous compliments for the excellent organization of COP29 and for making significant strides on key issues. What is being written now is irrelevant. People will talk.