It's not our fault that we have gas and oil. It's a gift from God, said Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev at a climate conference in the spring.
The President has made it clear that he thinks gas- and oil-producing countries like his should continue to invest in that sector. Something that goes against what the world's countries agreed on last year in Dubai – to phase out fossil fuels.
They make no secret of the fact that they, like the United Arab Emirates did at COP28, will take this opportunity to increase their production and sales of gas and other fossil fuels, says Jakob Hedenskog, analyst at the Centre for East European Studies.
Green investment
The state-owned gas and oil company Socar launched an investment in green energy a few weeks after being appointed host country for COP29 and promised investments in carbon capture, solar energy, and wind power.
Greenwashing, of course. They're doing it alongside the investments they're making in the fossil fuel industry. They're trying to win economic benefits on different markets at any cost.
COP President Mukhtar Babayev is, after all, a former environment minister, but previously worked for Socar for 26 years.
It shows how influential that sector is in Azerbaijan. It shines through.
President Ilham Aliyev has ruled Azerbaijan with an iron fist for over twenty years. No elections held during his time in power have been considered free and fair by international observers, and the organization Freedom House has called the country one of the least free in the world.
But Azerbaijan is trying to improve its image by launching this year's meeting as the "COP of peace" and calling for a global ceasefire during COP.
Restricted entry
There is no domestic environmental movement to speak of, and the question is how easy it will be for incoming participants to express criticism or make their voices heard.
I know that they have already restricted entry for people they fear will stage demonstrations, says Jakob Hedenskog.
He can imagine that they will still give demonstrators some space, but somewhere on the periphery. For Azerbaijan, the climate meeting is an opportunity to sell itself as a modern country, competent to host international top-level meetings.
They don't want to crack down on it with force, as that would only increase the bad image. Instead, they will probably try to make them noticed as little as possible.
Azerbaijan is located in southeastern Caucasus and is ruled as a dictatorship by the Aliyev family dynasty.
The country has just over 10 million inhabitants, and the capital Baku has 2.3 million inhabitants.
The country is very rich in gas and oil, which accounts for a large part of the economy.
The UN's climate summits, COP, are held in different locations every year. COP stands for "Conference of the Parties" and refers to the parties in the UN's climate convention.
COP29 is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22.
In the Paris Agreement from 2015, most of the world's countries agreed to keep the increase in the global average temperature well below 2 degrees, and preferably below 1.5 degrees, compared to pre-industrial times. This is to be achieved mainly through reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
