BAKU, Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan said on Wednesday that the country invited Armenia to the 29th UN climate change conference (COP29) to be held in the capital Baku in November.

"We have the infrastructure to host approximately 40,000 guests in one day. Invitations were sent to all the heads of state in the world. More than 50 heads of state and government confirmed that they will attend. We expect this number to increase. Armenia was also invited," Azerbaijan's Deputy Energy Minister Elnur Soltanov told Anadolu in an interview.

Saying that COP29 will be an event "incomparable" to any international event Azerbaijan has hosted to date, Soltanov, also the CEO of COP29, added that Baku will lead climate negotiations and present the country's activities in this regard.

"We will show Azerbaijan's hospitality. We will implement a quality organization with the coordinated activities of state institutions, companies and civil society organizations. There is no chance that COP29 will not be successful," he said.

He also said national, regional, and global issues will be discussed at COP29, and that the main topic of the conference will be climate financing.

Soltanov went on to say that one of the main agenda items of COP29 will be the provision of more aid to developing countries by developed countries, further expressing that developed countries developed by releasing more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

"According to the Paris Agreement, developed countries must provide financial support to developing countries in the fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change. Serious negotiations are currently underway to increase the climate financing of around $100 billion. We hope that a decision will be made in this regard at COP29," he added.

The elimination of barriers to carbon trade under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement is also one of the important issues to be discussed at COP29, he noted, reminding that all major decisions must be unanimously accepted.

"However, proposals that do not require unanimity but will take us forward in the climate area will also be discussed. Azerbaijan has also submitted 14 proposals on this issue. Unanimity is not required for the implementation of these proposals. We can implement them with some countries or companies," he further said.

"The relationship between climate and peace is also among Azerbaijan's proposals. We will call for a cease-fire all over the world at COP29, as we did at the Olympics," he said.

*Writing by Burc Eruygur in Istanbul