Azerbaijani FM, ECO Secretary General explore cooperation prospects

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has met with Asad Khan, the Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO), who is on a visit to Baku to attend the COP29 climate conference.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry made a post on its social media page, saying the meeting focused on strengthening cooperation between Azerbaijan and ECO, particularly during Azerbaijan's chairmanship of COP29, Caliber.Az reports.

The discussions highlighted potential areas for collaboration within the framework of the ongoing climate conference, as well as future initiatives to enhance the ties between Azerbaijan and the ECO member states.

COP29, being held from November 11 to 22 at Baku Stadium, marks Azerbaijan’s largest and most significant event to date and is the first time the country has hosted a COP summit. The event witnessed the signing of a Host Country Agreement and other crucial documents between the Azerbaijani government and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat.

A key focus of COP29 is the establishment of a fair and ambitious New Collective Quantitative Goal (NCQG) for climate finance. The presidency of COP29 has introduced 14 initiatives that connect climate action to the Sustainable Development Goals, including green energy corridors, energy storage, climate resilience, clean hydrogen, methane reduction from organic waste, green digital technologies, and more. One of the proposed initiatives is the creation of a Climate Finance Action Fund aimed at achieving the critical target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

Azerbaijan's commitment to mitigating climate change and protecting the environment has been evident throughout COP29. The unanimous decision to elect Azerbaijan as the host for this summit reflects the global community’s trust in the country’s leadership on climate action, as President Ilham Aliyev highlighted, underscoring Azerbaijan's important role in global climate efforts.

By Vafa Guliyeva