BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 23. Holding COP29 in Azerbaijan provides a unique opportunity for the country not only to become a world center of discussion and search for solutions to global climate issues but also to inform about its environmental problems, the chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan and representative of the Environmental Protection First coalition Amin Mammadov told Trend.
Among the country's acute problems, he named the consequences of environmental terror committed in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan during the period when the region was under Armenian occupation.
"In particular, due to this ecological terror, we lost 60,000 ha of green areas. There were problems with the pollution of water resources. Now, within the framework of the reintegration of territories, the Azerbaijani government is engaged in eliminating these problems, but support for Azerbaijan's efforts by international organizations is also important," Mammadov said.
According to him, the solution to the issue of early reintegration of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur into the country's economy is also hindered by the presence of mined territories, which pose a threat to the agricultural sector, construction, and, in general, people's lives.
"Azerbaijan has declared Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur to be restored as "green" zones with zero waste and with future green energy facilities and the development of a closed-cycle economy (recycling of waste). In other words, Azerbaijan is ready to make a real contribution to the fight against climate change. Our civil duty is to inform the world community within the framework of COP29 meetings about the problems that are obstacles on Azerbaijan's way to a green economy," Mammadov emphasized.
He noted that the UN has many different financial instruments and programs aimed at addressing environmental issues, for example, through grants for water purification projects and the expansion of green areas.
"We plan to present detailed information on environmental terror against our territories at COP29. We can use the COP29 platform to seek support from the international community, including financial support, as climate and environmental financing will be discussed at the climate summit in Baku," Mammadov noted.
Furthermore, according to him, Azerbaijan will also initiate issues ensuring the environmental security of the South Caucasus region and the Caspian Sea region.
"We are pinning our hopes on COP29. The world community has focused its efforts on combating climate change, keeping the increase in average annual temperature at 1.5 degrees Celsius. The UN has been holding meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Framework Convention on Climate Change since 1995 (the start was made with the signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 1995). The 29th session will be held in Baku. All the most important issues related to the environment and climate, ways to resolve problems, future strategies for solving urgent issues, and increasing investments for these purposes will be discussed. This climate summit will be important for everyone," the head of the Public Council under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources emphasized.
To note, COP29 will be held in Baku on November 11–22.
