That Fits: Azerbaijan, Which Invaded Nagorno-Karabakh Less Than 1 Year Ago, Calls For COP 29 "Truce"

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The conflicts involving Ukraine and Russia, and Israel and Gaza – both in regions neighbouring 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. A leaked draft of the truce appeal, seen by the Guardian, shows Azerbaijan is positioning itself as a peacemaker. “[Cop29] is a unique chance to bridge divides and find paths towards lasting peace. Conflicts increase greenhouse gas emissions and ravage the environment, polluting soil, water and air. The devastation of ecosystems and pollution caused by conflicts worsen climate change and undermine our efforts to safeguard the planet,” reads the draft resolution, a short text of 180 words.

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 disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region after Azerbaijan launched an offensive last September. A peace agreement was reached in late December but human rights campaigners say Azerbaijan still holds hundreds of political prisoners.

Several accused the Cop host country of hypocrisy. Paul Polman, a former chief of Unilever and now a climate activist and peace campaigner, said: “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 [Ilhan] Aliyev [of Azerbaijan] truly wants to lead by example, instead on 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.”

Ibad Bayramov, whose father, Gubad Ibadoghlu, an academic at the London School of Economics, is among those being held, said: “The conflicts have enabled the Azerbaijani government to fly under the radar while systematically dismantling civil society by imprisoning opposition voices. As Cop29 approaches, international attention is increasingly focused on the regime’s oppressive tactics. The government’s recent truce call is nothing but a distraction aimed at diverting foreign governments’ attention from the harsh realities on the ground.”

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/sep/17/azerbaijan-accused-of-hypocrisy-after-calling-for-cop29-global-truce