Sky News: Who thinks oil state Azerbaijan is ‘perfectly suited’ to hosting a climate summit?

Azerbaijan, a major oil and gas producer accused of serious human rights abuses, is “perfectly suited” to host a critical global climate summit, according to its man in charge of it, Sky News writes.

Baku is the “world’s first oil town”, home to the world’s first industrial oil well from 1847. Azerbaijan is also investing heavily in its gas, aiming to boost production by more than 30% over the coming decade. And COP chief executive Elnur Sultanov was secretly filmed apparently using his role to discuss gas deals.

Shereen Talaat, founder of the regional climate group MENAFem, said expanding gas production risks “undermining their own credibility and jeopardizing the future of our planet”. “Unlike the UK, Azerbaijan’s high level of dependence on oil and gas rents means it has the incentive to increase its gas availability for export-especially when one major neighboring consumer bloc-the EU-is asking for it,” Glada Lahn, energy specialist, said.

It also appears to have prompted Azerbaijan to import more Russian gas to meet its domestic demand, so it could sell more of its own to the EU, Ms Lahn said, adding “it is ironic”. Now, however, Azerbaijan’s gas deal with the EU is on shaky ground, as the bloc seeks to wind down its gas use and fossil fuel financing to meet climate goals.

European politicians also now feel queasy about working with the autocratic Azerbaijani government after its fierce crackdown on activists, independent journalists and critics. One of these was an academic with the London School of Economics, Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu. He was arrested on a visit to Azerbaijan last year on counterfeit currency charges “universally considered to be spurious and motivated by his criticism of corruption in the country”, the U.S. State Department said.

Gubad’s son Ibad Bayramov, who this week visited London to urge UK MPs to call for his father’s release, told Sky News: “The Azerbaijan government probably thought they could find a way to hide all their totalitarian policies because [COP29] is about climate. But more people now know about the human rights violations in Azerbaijan than ever before.”