Minister: Azerbaijan's COP 29 to call for global ceasefire amid climate talks

Azerbaijan's Deputy Minister of Energy and CEO of the COP29 Climate Change Conference, Elnur Soltanov, has said that Azerbaijan will call for a worldwide ceasefire during the conference.

He made the remarks responding to an Anadolu Agency correspondent about the topics to be discussed at the conference, Caliber.Az reports.

“At COP 29, we will call for a global ceasefire, much like in the Olympics,” he said.

Soltanov stated that COP 29 will address issues at the national, regional, and global levels, with the primary focus being on climate finance.

"All major decisions within the COP process must be adopted by consensus. However, there will also be proposals discussed that do not require unanimity but will advance us in the field of climate action. Azerbaijan has submitted 14 proposals in this regard. Implementing these proposals does not require consensus; we can carry them out with some countries or companies. Among the topics Azerbaijan has proposed for discussion are climate finance, energy, agriculture, water resources, tourism, digitalization, green cities, and human resources. The relationship between climate and peace is also among Azerbaijan's proposals,” Soltanov noted.

The deputy energy minister stated that they expect to host around 80,000 guests overall at COP 29, with different numbers of visitors coming to and leaving Azerbaijan on different days.

"We have the infrastructure to accommodate approximately 40,000 guests in a single day. Invitations have been sent to all heads of state worldwide, and more than 50 heads of state and government have confirmed their participation. We expect this number to increase. Armenia has also been invited,” he further said.

According to Soltanov, COP 29 will be an event of a scale that cannot be compared to any other international event Azerbaijan has hosted so far.

“We will lead the climate negotiations and showcase our activities in this area as a country. We will demonstrate Azerbaijan's hospitality. With the coordinated efforts of state institutions, companies, and civil society organizations, we will deliver a high-quality organization. There is no possibility of COP 29 being anything but a success," he added.