"He singled out the US, the world’s largest historic carbon emitter, and the EU for particular criticism, accusing them of double standards"

"The president of Azerbaijan, host of this year’s UN climate summit, lashed out at Western critics of his country’s oil and gas industry on Tuesday.

In his keynote address at the Cop29 climate summit, where nearly 200 nations are negotiating global action on climate change, President Ilham Aliyev described his country as a victim of a “well-orchestrated campaign of slander and blackmail”.

Within moments, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres took to the stage to say that doubling down on fossil fuels was an absurd strategy.

The opposing views underscored the challenge at the heart of the climate negotiations: while nations are urged to shift to green energy sources, many, including wealthy Western nations, continue to rely on fossil fuels."

William James, Kate Abnett and Simon Jessop report for Reuters November 13, 2024. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"At U.N. Climate Talks, Many Leaders Take A Pass On An ‘Unmissable’ Moment" (Washington Post) [3]

"Azerbaijan’s President Slams ‘Colonial’ French, Dutch Overseas Territories At COP29" (Politico) [4]

"Azerbaijan Accused Of Ramping Up Repression Of Critics Ahead Of Hosting UN Climate Summit" (AP) [5]