Azerbaijan successfully hosts COP29. The Heads of State and Government who visit the country confirm this in their speeches.
It is no coincidence that such a prestigious and globally important UN event is held in Baku. This is an indicator of the respect for Azerbaijan in the international world, of the value given to the positive role it plays in various energy, transport and other projects of global importance. Those who are his friends and those who are not have agreed to hold the event in Baku. Armenia’s agreement to hold COP29 in Baku is also Yerevan’s official acceptance and recognition of Azerbaijan’s positive influence. In short, this is the result of the positive reception of the official Baku policy by the international community.
Its geographical position is also considered an important indicator of the country’s ability to create political, cultural, energy, trade and transportation bridges between various international players.
Previously, Armenia’s occupation of its lands prevented Azerbaijan from taking advantage of such potential opportunities. It is true that Azerbaijan played an important role in the realization of several major energy and transportation projects during that period and was one of their authors. However, the cleansing of their lands from invaders led to the creation of huge energy and transport projects, changes in Eurasia’s energy and transport routes, and the creation of productive formats and multilateral cooperation.
The middle corridor passing through the Azerbaijani part of the Caspian Sea, the “North-South” transport corridor, etc. is an example of this.
Azerbaijan is an active member of several international organizations. He successfully chaired the Non-Aligned Movement in 2019-2022. Thanks to this successful activity, the presidency of Azerbaijan was extended for another year by unanimous decision of the member countries.
President Ilham Aliyev On July 5 last year, at a meeting with the ministers of the Movement Coordination Bureau in Baku, he stated that during his presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement, Azerbaijan resolutely protected justice, international law and the legitimate interests of the member countries. countries based on the “Bandung Principles”: in their confusion, it was the Non-Aligned Movement that united global efforts to fight this unprecedented challenge.”
The President emphasized that he has announced two global appeals to Africa and small island developing States to support post-pandemic recovery, and Azerbaijan, as the first donor, has allocated one million dollars for both appeals.
Azerbaijan is one of the active members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. This is confirmed by his contribution to the development of intercultural dialogue and intercivilizations during his presidency of the organization.
Azerbaijan has begun to implement a series of projects in order to protect the environment and use natural resources in an efficient, planned and scientific manner. It plans to build approximately six gigawatts of solar, wind and hydroelectric plants by 2030. In this regard, agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed on 10 gigawatt renewable energy projects. These are projects executed with the company “Masdar” of the United Arab Emirates, the company “Acwa Power” of Saudi Arabia and the company bp of the United Kingdom.
Azerbaijan plays a leading role in ensuring Europe’s energy security, green energy production and export, as well as future cooperation. There is close cooperation with Great Britain on energy projects of global importance. In recent years, Great Britain has invested $34 billion in Azerbaijan. Currently, successful relationships continue in the hydrocarbon sector in the direction of the energy transition and the development of the use of renewable energies.
Among the projects worth highlighting is also the implementation of the solar energy project with the BP company in the liberated territories.
The Memorandum of Understanding signed in May 2021 between the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan and the Department of International Trade of Great Britain on cooperation in the field of clean energy transition contributes to cooperation on energy transition and decarbonization. In this sense, the cooperation with BP is also appreciated.
Azerbaijan is also actively involved in the project of laying an energy cable from the Caspian Sea to the bottom of the Black Sea to export green energy to Europe.
“Capio-Black Sea-Europe” will supply four GW of green energy to Europe in the initial stage, “Azerbaijan-Turkey-Europe” green energy which has the prospect of transferring electricity from the Caspian and Central Asia to Turkey and Europe, In addition to The export of one GW of renewable energy from the Nakhchivan corridors is also an important project. The “Intergovernmental Agreement between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan on strategic partnership in the field of development and transmission of green energy” will be signed soon.
The regions of Nakhichevan, Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur have been declared green energy zones.
The implementation of green energy projects in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur was also given importance in the “I State Program for the Great Return to the territories liberated from the occupation of the Republic of Azerbaijan”, approved by order of the President of Azerbaijan of November 16 . 2022. To achieve this goal, the Head of our State signed on May 3, 2021 the decree “On measures related to the creation of a green energy zone in the liberated territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan.”
According to expert research, more than 4,000 megawatts of solar energy and up to 500 megawatts of wind energy are available in Nakhchivan, Karabakh and eastern Zangezur. Concrete measures are already being implemented to activate that potential.
According to experts, in terms of the amount of solar radiation falling on the Earth’s surface, the Fuzuli, Jabrayil and Zangilan districts are in second place after the territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The total solar energy potential of these lands is 3 to 4 thousand megawatts. A more precise calculation of the potential is also planned by installing measurement observation stations in the area.
The production of wind energy is also planned in Karabakh. Thus, in the mountainous part of the region there are large areas where the average annual wind speed is 7-8 meters per second at an altitude of 100 meters. The average annual wind speed reaches 10 meters per second in the border areas of the Kalbajar and Lachin regions with Armenia. In general, the potential of wind energy in the mountainous areas of Karabakh is estimated at 300-500 megawatts.
Together with Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur, the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic also joined the green energy marathon. President Ilham Aliyev has set the issue of turning Nakhchivan into a green energy zone like Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur as an important task.
This information is very brief about the activities and active role Azerbaijan plays in green energy, transportation, energy security and other fields.
In the South Caucasus, these indicators belong only to Azerbaijan. Despite the role it plays in protecting the environment and establishing relations between the West and the East, some oppose holding COP29 in Baku and try to smear it.
The most active in this direction are Armenia, several members of the European Union, including French officials, and the Iranian media.
Although the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, was invited to COP29, the official representative of this country has not yet arrived in Baku. According to the information, Armenia has registered to participate. This is an indication that the official Yerevan is not trustworthy. Representatives of the Armenian authorities claim that their participation in the conference depends on negotiations with Azerbaijan. It’s a very ridiculous approach. In fact, Armenia is the main country that pollutes the environment, rivers and air in the region. Furthermore, the Metsamor nuclear power plant continues to threaten the ecological situation in the South Caucasus.
Some politicians, senators, the Armenian lobby, French authorities in the US and the European Union called separatists and terrorists active in Karabakh “political prisoners” and called for the imposition of sanctions on Azerbaijan. Those forces tried to boycott the UN project.
France and others are clearly showing prejudice and hypocrisy by attacking Azerbaijan.
To the attention of Western centers and their followers who criticize Azerbaijan; At the proposal of the European Commission, Azerbaijan and this institution signed a declaration of strategic partnership in the field of energy. Eight out of ten countries with access to Azerbaijan’s natural gas are in Europe and are members of the union. The European Commission asked Azerbaijan to double the export of “blue fuel” by 2027.
Despite the high level of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Western countries, including European ones, unfortunately there are those who want to damage these relations.
President Ilham Aliyev responded to them in his speech at the opening ceremony of the COP29 Leaders Summit in Baku on November 12: “I have bad news for them: we have more than 70,000 registered participants from more than 190 countries. Among them are 80 presidents, Vice Presidents and There is a Prime Minister. Thus, the world has gathered in Baku and we say to the world: “Welcome to Azerbaijan”…
Information Agency “Informe”
