Germany’s chancellor regrets inability to attend COP29 in Azerbaijan

Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz had a phone talk with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on November 9.  

During the call, Chancellor Scholz expressed regret that, due to the political situation in Germany, he would be unable to participate in the World Leaders Climate Action Summit at COP29, which will be held in Azerbaijan, Caliber.Az reports via local media.  

Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed the significance of a successful COP29 climate conference, reaffirming Germany's commitment to supporting the achievement of the new climate finance goal. 

President Aliyev outlined Azerbaijan's priorities as the host and chair of COP29, emphasising the country's efforts to facilitate dialogue between parties and provide a conducive platform for productive discussions.    

Chancellor Scholz stated that Germany supports the creation of peace and the development of good neighbourly relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, urging both parties to take decisive actions towards this goal.  

President Aliyev pointed out that Azerbaijan was the initiator of the peace treaty's text and underlying principles between Azerbaijan and Armenia.   He emphasised that Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan are still enshrined in its Constitution.  

The president also noted that Armenia's significant delay in submitting its proposals for the text had negatively affected the process.

However, he stressed that the parties are close to finalising the document and that negotiations would resume after the COP conference concludes.

The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) will be held in Azerbaijan this November. This decision was made at the COP28 plenary session in Dubai on December 11, 2023. During two weeks, Baku will become a global hub, welcoming around 70,000 to 80,000 international guests.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, aimed at preventing dangerous human interference with the climate system. 

The abbreviation COP means "Conference of the Parties" and refers to the highest decision-making body responsible for overseeing the implementation of the UNFCCC. The Convention has 198 member states. Unless otherwise decided by the parties, the COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in Berlin in March 1995, and its secretariat is based in Bonn.

By Naila Huseynova