“I have very good memories of my visits to Azerbaijan and my cooperation with the government.”
This was stated by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres before his trip to Baku to participate in COP29, while answering questions from the US office of the “Report” at the organization’s headquarters in New York.
Here is the interview:
– Mr. Secretary General, as the first Azerbaijani journalist, interviewing the Secretary General of the UN is a historic opportunity for me. I am also a former Karabakh IDP and in this sense the UN means a lot to me. Once again, I am very grateful to you for this moment.
– I am very glad to meet you in this state. During my tenure as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, I visited Azerbaijan many times and supported the government’s policy of supporting internally displaced people from Karabakh and surrounding regions. I have witnessed how much the government of Azerbaijan has invested in fully integrating internally displaced people like you into society and benefiting from all aspects of the country’s development. That is why I have very good memories of my visits to Azerbaijan and my cooperation with the government.
– Mr. Secretary General, this will be your first official visit as UN Secretary General to Azerbaijan, which is preparing to host the Climate Summit – COP29. The government of Azerbaijan presents 14 initiatives to achieve successful results within the framework of the summit. One of Azerbaijan’s major initiatives is the proposal to establish a $1 billion Climate Finance Action Fund (FCFA) during COP29 to support developing countries. Based on our own observations, we can say that in just 10 months, Azerbaijan showed great determination and enthusiasm in preparing for COP29. What do you think of these preparations? How do you evaluate Azerbaijan’s organizational work for COP29? What are your expectations from the government?
– The important thing is that Azerbaijan is ambitious in implementing its own initiatives. Representatives of UN member states must attend the event for the COP to be successful and this process must be successful. Because climate change affects everyone. This year has been the hottest we have ever had. We experience droughts, hurricanes, floods that destroy much of the world. Emissions must be reduced by 9% annually to keep global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius, the pre-industrial level. The truth is that emissions continue to increase and we are in danger of losing 1.5 degrees.
Therefore, we need an ambitious person to change the situation, and this is very important in Azerbaijan.
Therefore, we need ambitious and lofty goals in Azerbaijan to change everything and reverse course. Let us not forget that Azerbaijan persistently contributes to the fight against climate change and presents a national action plan. This will be a very important signal and can be an example to show other countries that they should do the same.
– Mr. Secretary General, Azerbaijan is among the most mine-contaminated countries in the world. After the end of the conflict in 2020, some 400 civilians and soldiers were victims of mine explosions. Two of them were my journalist colleagues. Armenia still refuses to provide complete and accurate maps of mined areas. Although supporting Azerbaijan’s mine action efforts at the national level is a top UN priority in Azerbaijan, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) does not inform the international community about Karabakh’s demining efforts. Although we have seen that the UN has issued statements on the problem of landmines in Ukraine, as well as in other countries around the world, there are no similar condemnations or statements regarding Azerbaijan. I wonder why?
– But you see the activity and it is very important. You also see that this is being worked on. UNDP actively supports the government of Azerbaijan. 350,000 people have already benefited from the joint effort to clear the region of mines. In addition, an agreement was signed between the two countries (Armenia and Azerbaijan – ed.), which could be an example for the whole world. I would call it the Reference Center. Of course, mines should not exist. We have no qualms about saying it openly. However, we strongly support the Azerbaijani government to clear its territory of mines. Because it is important to neutralize the mines in the territory, clean those areas, for people to return to their places of origin and for the government to implement projects for the well-being of the population.
– Mr. Guterres, after liberating Azerbaijan’s historic lands from 30 years of Armenian occupation, is actively working to build peace with Armenia. It is true that despite Armenia’s frequent violations of agreements and uncertainties about the peace agreement, the Azerbaijani government calls COP29 the “COP of peace” due to the progress made in regional diplomacy. . How do you evaluate the peacebuilding process between the two countries?
– I didn’t want to talk about politics. Supporting activities essential to the success of the COP means achieving a very ambitious financial goal. Because this financial objective will allow trillions of dollars to be mobilized to support developing countries, maintain 1.5 degrees at that level and support people affected by the dramatic consequences of climate change that they face. Secondly, I will do everything possible in the negotiations to have carbon markets. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, called Article 6, requires that carbon markets be transparent, effective, and this is just about having carbon markets for “Greenwashing” (the act of making false statements or misleading statements about the environmental benefits of a product or practice). .
Furthermore, I will do everything in my power to support the government of Azerbaijan in negotiations on all other aspects of the COP. Of course, another important issue is that although the COP does not only address climate change issues, it is important to emphasize the consequences of climate change. One of the consequences of this is being an instigator of conflict. This is something very important that we must protect at a time when there are conflicts from Gaza to Ukraine, Sudan and many other parts of the world. We have done it, we have chosen to be at peace with each other and at peace with nature, and that is the message I can spread. But like I said, I’m not going to get involved in any political discussions.
– Azerbaijan actively and effectively cooperates with a wide range of specialized UN agencies and institutions. During his four years as President of the Non-Aligned Movement of Azerbaijan, he led important efforts in the fight against COVID-19 and promoted the institutional development of the Non-Aligned Movement. Furthermore, Azerbaijan is among the countries most committed to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). After COP29, Azerbaijan will start preparing for the 13th World Urban Forum (WU13) scheduled to be held in Baku in 2026. How do you generally assess Azerbaijan’s contribution to the UN?
– Azerbaijan makes an excellent contribution to cooperation with the United Nations. I witnessed this myself during my time as UN High Commissioner for Refugees, our cooperation was literally seamless and our country team was very successful in cooperating with the government in support of Azerbaijan’s sustainable development strategy. and many other aspects. Furthermore, Azerbaijan continues to actively work with various UN agencies in recent years, and we also saw this at the UN “Future Summit.” As I said, we are very satisfied with the successful cooperation with the government of Azerbaijan.
– His meeting with President Putin at the BRICS summit was criticized by the international community. At the same time, a few days ago you expressed your deep concern about the sending of North Korean troops to Russia to participate in the war against Ukraine. On the other hand, there is information that he is preparing to travel to this country to meet with the Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. Do you expect positive results from this meeting in relation to the current conflict in the region?
– I think that during the last escalation the most important thing was to prevent the internationalization of the conflict with the participation of North Korea. When a conflict becomes internationalized, the conflict between two countries becomes more general. Peace in the world is at stake and that is the reason for my intervention.
– Mr. Secretary General, according to information from the Azerbaijani government, more than 4,000 Azerbaijanis have disappeared during the last 30 years as a result of Armenian aggression. In recent years, no concrete measures have been taken within the UN framework to clarify the fate of these people. What action should the UN prioritize to solve this humanitarian problem?
– The UN is left entirely to the discretion of governments to find missing persons anywhere, anywhere and for any reason. We are concerned about the loss of people and the suffering of families. Therefore, we are ready to cooperate in all matters related to the search or clarification of the fate of persons missing for any reason.
– Mr. Secretary General, there have long been persistent demands to reform the UN Security Council. What do you think is needed for the UN to function more effectively?
– I think the Security Council (SC) reflects the world of 1945, but the world has changed. Three of the five permanent members of the Council of Europe are European countries with different positions: France, Great Britain and Russia. Today the world is a bigger world. Therefore, we need a CT that reflects today’s world and is not paralyzed by geopolitical decisions. This is the most important reform demanded by the international community. Because this requires a radical reform of the international financial architecture and other aspects of global governance, similar to those established after the Second World War. Back then, Azerbaijan was part of the Soviet Union and today Azerbaijan is here, imposing itself in the international world. We must keep in mind that there are Azerbaijanis who were not there when global governance was established, but who live in this world today, so we must be fair.
