In his remarks at the third Retreat for the chairs of negotiating groups and heads of delegation of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Ruslan Edelgeriyev drew the participants’ attention to the importance of recognising nations’ sovereign pathways towards decarbonisation. This recognition, he stressed, must give due regard to differences in national situations and strictly comply with the principle that obligations cannot be imposed on states in the framework of the climate process without their consent. He emphasised the inadmissibility of unilateral restrictions introduced under the pretext of fighting climate change.
The Presidential Aide also held consultations with the delegation of the Republic of Turkiye on the sidelines of the retreat. The sides discussed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the sphere of low-carbon development, with a focus on mutual recognition mechanisms for carbon credit verification systems to implement joint climate projects.
Ruslan Edelgeriyev also held meetings with members of the Azerbaijani cabinet, including Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Agriculture Minister Majnun Mammadov, and Head of the Forest Development Service under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources Ramik Ashrafov.
The discussion focused on current issues of bilateral cooperation in the areas of environmental protection, agriculture, forestry, and the climate agenda.
Key areas highlighted by the participants included the preservation of the Caspian Sea ecosystem, the rational use of water resources in agriculture, the implementation of joint climate projects and the strengthening of scientific and technological cooperation. They also explored prospects for the implementation of joint initiatives, in particular, the restoration of the ecosystem on the transboundary Samur River, the establishment of demonstration fields for crop cultivation using water-saving technologies, and efforts to counteract land degradation and forest pests.
Following the meetings, the sides noted a high level of mutual understanding and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening good-neighbourly relations and strategic Russia-Azerbaijan cooperation across a wide range of fields.