President Aliyev at COP29: Azerbaijan will do its best to find common understanding between global North and South

As a President of COP29, Azerbaijan will do its best to find common understanding between developing and developed countries, between Global South and Global North, said President Ilham Aliyev as he addressed the opening ceremony of the World Leaders Climate Action Summit at COP29 in Baku on Tuesday.

The head of state noted that by unanimous decision of 120 countries Azerbaijan successfully chaired the Non-Aligned Movement, the second largest international institution of the UN.

"By unanimous decision of almost 200 countries Azerbaijan was honored to host COP29. This decision is a sign of respect to our country as well as appreciation of our active role in the international arena," he said.

President Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan is a country where east and west, north and south meet, and this is not only about geography.

"We can build political, cultural, energy, trade, and transportation bridges between different international actors," he said.

The head of state pointed out that the mega projects initiated by Azerbaijan have already changed the energy and transportation maps of Eurasia and led to the establishment of fruitful multinational cooperation formats.

"We also look at the export markets and work actively with our partners in order to implement another important energy security project," he said.

The head of state mentioned the Black Sea-Caspian energy cable, saying, "this will allow us to export green energy to Europe, and the technical potential of this cable - by the way, feasibility studies will be ready very soon—is close to four gigawatt. But again, this is only the beginning."

President Aliyev also emphasized that Azerbaijan plays an active role in intercultural dialogue.

"Azerbaijan is an active supporter of multilateralism. At the same time, we play an active role in intercultural dialogue," he said.

"Multiculturalism is our state policy, and at the same time, it is our lifestyle. The People of Azerbaijan, regardless of their ethnic or religious identity, live in peace and harmony as one family," added the head of state.

President Aliyev also touched upon the occupation policy pursued by Armenia against Azerbaijan for about 30 years.

"Despite 30 years-long occupation by Armenia of almost 20% of the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan, despite ethnic cleansing and the deportation of 1 million Azerbaijanis from their ancestral lands, we managed to build a strong country with a self-sufficient economy and independent policy," he said.

The head of state noted, "Four years ago, we celebrated the historical victory in the Second Karabakh War. A year ago, we fully restored our sovereignty in accordance with the UN Charter, international law, and UN Security Council resolutions, which had remained on paper for 30 years. We implemented these resolutions ourselves and restored international law, justice, and put an end to the Armenian occupation."

News.Az