Annalena Burbock in herfirst speech at the conferenceThe UN Climate Change Committee has expressed sharp criticism of Azerbaijan.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, in her first speech at the 29th session of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), which is taking place in Azerbaijan, expressed sharp criticism of the host country. The human rights situation in Azerbaijan is worrying, the politician said in Baku on Thursday, November 21. She indicated that the arrest of media activists and opposition representatives was of great concern.
As an example, she specifically mentioned the travel ban on government critic Gubad Ibadoglu, who is under house arrest. The 53-year-old professor at the London School of Economics, who studies Azerbaijan's oil and gas sector and environmental issues, was arrested in his home country in the summer of 2023 on fraud charges.
Annalena Berbock also called the ban on entry into Azerbaijan for 76 deputies of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe absolutely unacceptable. “They also affect German deputies of the Bundestag and are incompatible with Azerbaijan’s obligations in the Council of Europe,” the minister indicated. She stressed the importance of this climate change conference also addressing the human rights situation.
At the same time, the head of the German Foreign Ministry indicated that the summit should bring results in the fight against the climate crisis, which she called the biggest security policy problem of our time. The minister stressed that Berlin recognizes the responsibility for climate finance, calling on other countries to share it.
