Azerbaijani MP defends country against The Economist's criticism Ahead of COP29

Azerbaijani MP Ramid Namazov has strongly rebutted allegations made by The Economist, asserting that Azerbaijan is gaining significant international recognition by hosting the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

In his remarks, Namazov criticized the magazine’s characterization of Azerbaijan's infrastructure developments ahead of the event as reminiscent of a “Potemkin village,” Caliber.Az reports.

He emphasized that it is standard practice for all nations hosting such summits to enhance their infrastructure.

Namazov noted that the decision to hold COP29 in Azerbaijan was not originally anticipated and emerged as a surprising outcome of successful peace talks with Armenia, which had previously signaled intentions to oppose Azerbaijan's bid.

Furthermore, he assured readers of The Economist that freedom of speech and expression will be upheld during COP29, asserting that any agreements lacking alignment with these principles would not be genuine.

By Vafa Guliyeva