Azerbaijan has been accused of hypocrisy. Climate summit host positions itself as peacemaker but is accused of ethnic cleansing and imprisoning opponents, The Guardian writes.
Heads of government from around the world are expected and more than 180 countries are likely to be represented.
For the duration of the conference, and a week before and afterwards, Azerbaijan is calling on all countries that are engaged in conflict to put down arms. The presidency will also hold a special “peace day” on Nov. 15.
The conflicts involving Ukraine and Russia, and Israel and Gaza–both in regions neighboring Azerbaijan–will cast a shadow over the conference. Russia is a leading producer of fossil fuels and emitter of greenhouse gases, while Azerbaijan is helping to supply gas to Europe in place of Russia’s gas. Forging diplomatic agreement on the climate is expected to be even more fraught than usual, when geopolitical tensions are already running high.
But activists have pointed to Azerbaijan’s record on human rights and its recently concluded war with Armenia. More than 100,000 people were displaced in the Nagorno-Karabakh region after Azerbaijan launched an offensive last September.
Human rights campaigners say Azerbaijan still holds hundreds of political prisoners.
Paul Polman, a former chief of Unilever, said that the idea of a “Cop truce” is a deeply cynical PR stunt by Azerbaijan designed to distract the world’s attention away from its ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh last year. If President Aliyev truly wants to lead by example, instead of calling on others to act, he should commit to decarbonising Azerbaijan’s fossil fuel economy and release the more than 300 political prisoners he is detaining before Cop29 begins.
