BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 6. The buzz around COP29 in Azerbaijan, even on The Guardian's usually critical pages, really showcases Azerbaijan's heightened geopolitical standing. Hosting COP29 reflects President Ilham Aliyev's forward-thinking foreign policy.
Even The Guardian, always critical about Azerbaijan and its wins, could not pass up on this. They gave a nod to the appointment of Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan's Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, as COP29's president, highlighting his green efforts.
"Babayev does have form in environmental protection, having spent three years as Socar’s vice-president for ecology, in which time he oversaw efforts to remediate Azerbaijan’s contaminated soils," they noted.
Reporters also pointed out that after becoming minister, Babayev organized Azerbaijan's first-ever eco conference. "He described remediation as the “shared mission and moral imperative” of all Azerbaijanis," the article says.
The Guardian also made a point that the UN was pleased with Babayev's appointment. "Simon Stiell, the UN climate change executive secretary, welcomed the appointment, exhorting his team to work with Babayev and Yalchin Rafiyev, his lead negotiator, to deliver a successful Cop29," they mentioned.
