Azerbaijan tipped to host COP29 climate talks.

As a result of reaching a late agreement with Armenia, its longtime opponent, over its bid, Azerbaijan is expected to host the United Nations climate summit in the following year.

While there was no official confirmation from Moscow on Friday, several diplomats stated that other nations, notably Russia, which has vetoed other host contenders, were anticipated to support Baku’s candidacy. However, Russia has banned other host possibilities. The subject is still being discussed and addressed at the COP28 climate meeting that is now taking place in Dubai.

After Russia said it would veto any European Union country’s application to host the COP28 conference, the decision over who would take over from the United Arab Emirates, which is now hosting the conference, has been stuck in a geopolitical impasse that has never been seen before. As a result of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has imposed sanctions. Azerbaijan is not a member of the European Union.

In the late hours of Thursday, Azerbaijan said that it had reached an agreement with Armenia that would enable Baku to submit a candidacy to host the COP29 discussions without the risk of an Armenian veto taking place.

Enation that is a part of the United Nations Eastern Europe regional group must be on board with selecting a COP host.

An overwhelming majority of the members of the Eastern European bloc provided us with exceptional support. Aykhan Hajizada, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, stated on Friday that Russia has also contributed to the success of our bid.

A member of Russia’s delegation at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) declined to comment. In response to a request for comment, the Russian Ministry of Energy did not immediately respond.

In addition to being a member of OPEC+, Azerbaijan is also an oil and gas producer.

The United Arab Emirates has been criticized over the appointment of Sultan al-Jaber, the chairman of its state-owned oil corporation, ADNOC, to the position of president of the COP28 meeting that will take place this year.

Some delegates at COP28 have expressed their worries about the possibility of having the world’s climate negotiations in an oil producer for the second year in a row.

“I do understand these concerns,” Hajizada said.

“Despite the fact that Azerbaijan is rich in oil and gas, Azerbaijan’s strategic goals are the diversification of energy, resources, especially applied to wind and solar energy,” stated the president.

Armenia has promised to support Azerbaijan’s quest to host the Conference of the Parties (COP) in exchange for participation in the COP bureau of the Eastern European group.

Because of the area of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as being a part of Azerbaijan but is predominantly populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians, the two Caucasian nations have been at war for decades. The most notable dispute is about the region. In September, Azerbaijan was able to retake control of the territory, which had previously been under the authority of the ethnic Armenian majority community.

On Friday, Bulgaria, a member of the European Union, withdrew its application to host the Conference of the Parties (COP29). In a statement, Bulgaria expressed appreciation for the “constructive approach” taken by Armenia and Azerbaijan. In the past, Russia had prevented Bulgaria from submitting a proposal.

Diplomatic sources at COP28 informed Reuters that additional eastern European nations are anticipated to support Baku’s bid to host the conference, even though Moldova had also submitted a bid and Serbia was considering submitting one.

Diplomats are working feverishly to reach a consensus before the conclusion of the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) on December 12.

As a result of the impasse over the host, the nation that will be hosting the COP29 conference in the following year has very little time to prepare for the large meeting, which has the potential to bring the nation that will be hosting the summit diplomatic prestige as well as harsh scrutiny over its record in combating climate change.