- Oil and gas are gift of God, says Azerbaijan president at COP29
- He criticised “Western fake news” about Azerbaijan’s emissions
- Eyebrows raised over choice of Azerbaijan as the host for COP29
Oil and gas are gift of God, says Azerbaijan president at COP29
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev defended the country’s oil and gas resources, calling them a “gift of god” and arguing that nations should not be blamed for having fossil fuel reserves. He criticised “Western fake news” about Azerbaijan’s emissions, stating that the country’s share of global gas emissions was just 0.1%. Aliyev also emphasised that resources like oil, gas, wind, and solar are natural assets, and countries should not be faulted for producing and selling them to meet market demands. Azerbaijan plans to increase its gas production by up to a third over the next decade.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres pushed back against further reliance on fossil fuels, describing such actions as “absurd.” Guterres’s comments came as world leaders, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, pledged more ambitious climate action. Starmer committed to reducing emissions by 81% by 2035 and called on other countries to set similar targets.
The choice of Azerbaijan as the host for COP29 has raised concerns due to the country’s heavy reliance on oil and gas. Critics have noted that the country’s top environmental official has a background in the oil industry, and some worry that the conference might serve to promote investment in Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil and gas company, SOCAR.