By Kate Abnett
DUBAI (Reuters) – There is an overall consensus that Azerbaijan should host the COP29 U.N. climate summit next year, the country’s ecology minister Mukhtar Babayev said on Saturday.
“I’m delighted to announce that there is an overall consensus on the candidacy of Azerbaijan to host COP29,” he told the COP28 summit in Dubai.
Nations from the Eastern European region, which is due to host next year’s summit, have been deadlocked over the host of the next global gathering to address climate change.
The group did not officially confirm on Saturday its member countries had backed Baku’s bid, but Babayev suggested they were on board.
“We’re very grateful to all countries in particular to the Eastern European group and the [COP28 summit] host United Arab Emirates for their support,” he said.
Talks on the site for COP29 have been held up after Russia said it would veto any European Union country’s bid to host.
The EU has sanctioned Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Azerbaijan is not an EU member.
If approved by the regional group, Baku’s bid would still need the formal green light from the nearly 200 countries present at the COP28 talks.
(Reporting by William James, Kate Abnett)
