Realism, energy, ecology: Azerbaijan for a sustainable future Caliber.Az review

As a country where East meets West and North meets South, Azerbaijan has for many years been building political, cultural, energy, trade, and transport bridges between various regions of the world. At the same time, as demonstrated by the outcomes of COP29 held in Baku in November 2024, Azerbaijan is making a significant contribution to fostering consensus on the UN climate agenda between developed and developing countries, strengthening ties between the Global South and the Global North.

In particular, our country remains committed to advancing the trends outlined during COP29, a position once again reaffirmed by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev during the 3rd Shusha Global Media Forum, held under the theme "Digital Pathways: Strengthening Information and Media Resilience in the Age of AI."

The event brought together 140 guests from 52 countries, representing 30 news agencies and 80 media organisations. Discussions covered the challenges and opportunities facing modern media, including the impact of digital transformation and the role of independent journalism in promoting peace, development, and mutual understanding.

One of the key topics discussed at the media forum was the continuation of global efforts toward a "green" transformation, during which Azerbaijan's stance on advancing the goals of the UN Climate Conference was clearly outlined. In particular, Klaus Peter Ralf Jurgens, Director of the London-based company Economy First Limited, addressed President Ilham Aliyev with a question on the specifics and achievements of the climate conference: "Now that we are halfway between one and the next, with the next one almost starting, how would you describe the legacy of COP29? Would it be an ongoing set of policies for Azerbaijan?"

In response, the head of state recalled that the major climate conference held in Baku attracted an exceptionally large audience: 77,000 registered participants from nearly 200 countries, including 70 heads of state and government—an impressive indicator of the importance of the issue.

"As far as our contribution to the global climate agenda is concerned, I would say that Azerbaijan is an ecologically friendly country. We do not use coal or fuel oil to produce electricity. We rely only on hydropower and natural gas, and more recently, on solar energy. By the way, our green agenda is very ambitious. By 2030, based on already signed investment contracts, we will have a minimum of six gigawatts of green energy, including solar, wind, and hydro. Hydro is primarily produced here in this area — in Karabakh and East Zangezur. We have already inaugurated more than 30 small hydropower stations with a total capacity of 280 megawatts," the president said.

By underlining the ambitious nature of Azerbaijan’s green programme, Ilham Aliyev also drew attention to its regional dimensions.

“Today, not only in Azerbaijan but also in the countries of Central Asia, there are huge investments in solar and wind energy power stations. During COP29 last November in Baku, the Presidents of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan signed an agreement to build a subsea green energy cable under the Caspian Sea to connect the future green energy of Central Asia with Azerbaijan’s infrastructure. Prior to that, a couple of years earlier, Azerbaijan, together with Georgia, Romania, and Hungary, also signed a document on the construction of a green energy cable under the Black Sea. So you can see that this connectivity today goes beyond the region of the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Europe,” the President of Azerbaijan emphasised. 

At the same time, the head of state stressed that Azerbaijan’s message, as the host country of the UN conference, was rooted in the need to approach climate issues with realism and pragmatism: “We all understand that we need to save the planet, but probably those who contribute most to environmental disaster should bear that burden.”

In this context, the President of Azerbaijan reminded the audience of the plight of small island developing states, for whom climate change poses an existential threat and who are in urgent need of strong support. For this very reason, the issue was included in the agenda and discussed at COP29, which featured a dedicated session focused on small island developing states. Azerbaijan also contributed $10 million to a special fund aimed at addressing climate change challenges in the least developed countries.

“We are implementing a green transition program. But at the same time, we understand that without oil and gas, it will not be possible to plan development, plan the future, or provide necessary conditions for our citizens,” the head of state said, stressing the need to approach the energy transition from a realistic standpoint.

In this regard, Azerbaijan sees its role as a kind of bridge between the Global South and the Global North—and during last year's UN Climate Conference in Baku, the country successfully fulfilled this role.

“One of the important achievements of COP29 was that we managed to create a constructive atmosphere and, with our personal contribution, achieved agreement on Article 6 regarding the functioning of carbon markets — an issue that had been under discussion for at least the last 10 years. That is a very important and tangible result of COP29,” the President of Azerbaijan stated.

The head of state also recalled another major success achieved last November in Baku: the agreement to increase climate finance from $100 billion, which had been the target prior to COP29, to $300 billion.

“We know that some countries are not satisfied with that, but we must be fair: we managed to triple the funding. And, of course, those who will take over responsibility after us will have to do their part to increase this funding,” said Ilham Aliyev. “We launched more than a dozen initiatives, and the absolute majority of countries joined them.”

The head of state also noted that Azerbaijan’s efforts to implement the green agenda, as well as its initiatives to build bridges and foster mutual understanding between various political actors, have been recognised and appreciated by the United Nations and numerous international organisations.

Speaking about the future prospects for implementing UN climate initiatives, the president emphasised the need to take into account the current U.S. administration’s stance on climate change: “Of course, the United States, as a global leader, is both the biggest contributor to climate change and the biggest investor. Its role, of course, cannot be underestimated. So, a lot will depend on that […] So again, as far as we are concerned, we will continue to be committed to our green agenda. But how COP30, 31, and 32 will perform — that, of course, is an open question.”