Russia praises Azerbaijan’s leadership in hosting COP29, emphasises regional climate concerns

Russia has expressed strong support for Azerbaijan’s role as the host of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Speaking at a briefing, Zakharova highlighted the significance of the event being held in Azerbaijan, particularly on the South Caucasus, a region where climate issues are rarely given sufficient international attention, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

"We highly appreciate Azerbaijan’s efforts as the chair of the conference. It is particularly important that, for the first time in history, a major UN climate event is being hosted in the CIS region, and specifically in the South Caucasus," Zakharova said.

She also emphasised that the region’s unique climate processes are often overlooked by the international community.

"Both the region and its climate phenomena receive relatively little focus from the UN compared to other areas," she added.

Zakharova reiterated Russia's traditional support for significant international events taking place in CIS countries, praising Azerbaijan's ability to successfully organise such conferences.

Regarding initiatives put forward by Azerbaijan as the conference chair, Zakharova noted that Russia has supported most of them.

"We consider Baku's proposals to be reasonable and timely," she concluded. 

By Aghakazim Guliyev