At COP29, Aliyev Boasts Fossil Fuels as ‘Gift From God’ and Again Complains about Armenia

At the opening ceremony of the United Nations climate change conference, known as COP29, which kicked off in Baku on Tuesday, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan accused the West of hypocrisy, touting oil and gas as a “gift from God,” while using the international platform to voice grievances against Armenia.

Aliyev praised the use of natural resources, including fossil fuels, as he slammed criticism regarding his country’s exports of oil and gas.

He complained that Azerbaijan has faced a “campaign of slander and blackmail” amid calls to boycott the summit due to its reliance on fossil fuels, accusing Western “fake media” – especially from the U.S. – and environmental organizations of running the campaign.

“Fake news media of the country which is (the) number one oil and gas producer in the world and produces 30 times more oil than Azerbaijan, call us ‘petrostate,’” Aliyev said. “They better look at themselves.”

“Quote me that I said that this is a gift of God, and I want to repeat it today here at this audience,” said Aliyev, who had used a similar phrase in April.

Aliyev’s remarks at the COP29 opening ceremony were in sharp contrast to those made by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said it would be “absurd” to lean heavier now into fossil fuels, despite the negative effects of global warming.

“The clock is ticking,” Guterres said, pointing out that projections show 2024 will likely be the hottest year on record.

Aliyev also used this international platform to discuss Armenia and Artsakh, venting his frustration at the international community for not acting sooner against Armenia’s “occupation” of Azerbaijan.

He invoked international human rights and spoke about UN General Assembly resolution, which he said “had stayed on paper for 30 years,” until Azerbaijan fulfilled the resolutions, referring to the 2020 Artsakh War.

Aliyev, once again, accused Armenia of “occupying” his country and emphasizing their “victory” in the 2020 war.