By AFP - Agence France Presse
COP29 host tries to calm the waters after diplomatic turmoil
Host Azerbaijan tried to lower the diplomatic temperature in Baku on Thursday after a French minister canceled her trip to the UN climate talks and Argentina withdrew its delegation.
While negotiators work behind closed doors at the COP29 talks to hammer out a climate finance deal, the spotlight has largely been stolen by the diplomatic turmoil.
France's environment minister, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, said on Wednesday that she would not travel to Baku after Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused Paris of colonial “crimes” and “human rights violations” in its overseas territories.
Pannier-Runacher called his speech “unacceptable... and beneath the dignity of the COP presidency”.
It was also a “flagrant violation of the code of conduct” for the conduct of UN climate negotiations, she added.
In an attempt to calm tempers on Thursday, COP29 chief negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev insisted that Azerbaijan had promoted “an inclusive process.”
“We opened our doors so that everyone could participate in very constructive and fruitful discussions,” he told reporters.
“Our doors are still open.”
Relations between Paris and Baku have long been strained because France supported Armenia, Azerbaijan's arch-rival.
Azerbaijan defeated Armenia in a lightning offensive last year when it retook the Armenian-populated breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh - leading to the exodus of more than 100,000 Armenians.
- 'Diplomatic issue' - Mr. Aliyev hails victory
Mr. Aliyev celebrated the victory in remarks to delegates and also raised suspicions by insisting that natural resources, including carbon-emitting fossil fuels, were a “gift from God.”
The EU climate commissioner said the climate talks “should be a place where all parties feel comfortable to come and negotiate.”
“The COP presidency has a special responsibility to enable and enhance this,” Wopke Hoekstra posted on X.
To add to the diplomatic turmoil, Argentina's delegation was abruptly withdrawn from the negotiations.
A source in the Environment Ministry confirmed the withdrawal but would not give further details.
Argentina's anti-establishment president, Javier Milei, has made no secret of his skepticism about climate change and is an ally of the recently re-elected former US president, Donald Trump.
Although the Argentine delegation was small, his departure “is unprecedented in the country's diplomatic history,” said Oscar Soria, an Argentine environmental activist and director of the Common Initiative.
Rafiyev declined to comment on the departure, calling it a “diplomatic matter between Argentina and the UN.”
“We hope that everyone here has only one intention: to join us in this collective effort to achieve a positive outcome,” he added.
- 'Some uncertainties' - You don't know for sure.
But progress on the main objective of the negotiations - a new climate finance agreement - is proving to be extremely slow.
The main fault line is clear: how much-developed countries should pay to help poorer nations adapt to climate change and move away from fossil fuels.
Rich nations are reluctant to spend much more than the $100 billion a year already committed, conscious of domestic public anger at inflation and struggling economies.
But developing countries warn that they need at least $1 trillion to defend themselves against the ravages of climate change and meet commitments to achieve net zero emissions.
The sources described the ongoing discussions as difficult, with negotiators struggling to turn a draft text into a reasonable form before ministers arrive in a few days to start sealing a deal.
“At this rate, we won't be able to deliver anything meaningful by Saturday, as initially requested by the presidency,” warned Fernanda de Carvalho, WWF's climate policy lead.
Looming over the proceedings is the question of what role the United States will play in climate action and financing after Trump returns to the White House in January.
He has promised to withdraw again from the historic Paris Agreement, raising questions about how much US negotiators can promise and deliver in Baku.
“I think it's fair to say that there is some uncertainty in the next administration,” admitted Jake Levine, the White House's senior director for climate and energy.
But the need to “project American values” would be a powerful driver for continued climate finance and action, despite Trump's return, he added.
“We can't cede the playing field to China, to our competitors... So I think you will see a continued American presence.”
sah/lth/fg
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