Double standards exposed: Azerbaijani envoy calls out EU for climate rhetoric vs. reality

Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Ireland, Elin Suleymanov, has criticized the European Union for what he described as "double standards" in addressing the climate crisis.

In an interview with The Irish Independent, Suleymanov pointed out that despite the EU's vocal commitment to climate action, the actions of European leaders often do not align with their rhetoric, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

“The leaders of European nations, the leading countries of the European Union, say that climate problems are a matter of life and death for mankind. However, they do not attend summits dedicated to fighting climate change. This is a really clear example of double standards,” Suleymanov remarked.

"We’re being told everything else is secondary, that this is a matter of human survival," he stated. “And then you get leaders of European nations – leading nations in the EU – who say ‘yeah, yeah, it’s an issue of life and death for humanity, but we will not come.’ That’s an admirable level of hypocrisy.”

The Ambassador's comments came in the context of the recent COP29 conference held in Baku, where significant progress was made in climate finance. Notably, the conference resulted in an agreement to secure annual funding of $300 billion for climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. However, Suleymanov expressed disappointment that the funding did not meet the initial expectations.

“We fought for more funding, but the main donors were Western countries,” Suleymanov explained. “Some of our European friends said one thing publicly and another in private conversations.” He went on to note that while the $300 billion commitment was a positive step, it fell far short of the $1.3 trillion target that had been set for the global climate financing goal.

Despite these challenges, the Ambassador praised COP29's overall outcomes, particularly the Baku Call, a key initiative aimed at addressing the interconnected crises of climate change, conflict, and humanitarian issues. This long-term legacy project is seen as a vital step in bringing global attention to these issues, and Suleymanov expressed hope that Ireland would play a leading role in supporting the initiative.

"Overall, COP29 was a successful conference, and its legacy will be strong,” he said. “The Baku Call initiative is important for the future, and I hope Ireland will support it and take a leading role.”

By Tamilla Hasanova