Ilham Aliyev, president of Azerbaijan — the host of the U.N.’s next climate talks — used a major address Friday to send Europe a pointed message: You need our gas.
The country’s fossil fuel reserves were “a gift of the gods,” Aliyev told a gathering of ministers in Berlin on Friday — and, he added, divine aid for Europe as it shifts off Russian energy supplies.
Azerbaijan’s hosting of the COP29 talks in November has drawn attention to its plans to massively expand natural gas extraction. An analysis from NGO Global Witness, seen by POLITICO, suggests the country’s plans would generate carbon dioxide emissions equal to Russia’s entire annual output.
Aliyev defended that expansion, calling it Azerbaijan’s “responsibility” to respond to Europe’s needs.
