Azerbaijan will host next year’s global climate talks, breaking a months long stalemate caused by the war in Ukraine.
Former Soviet bloc countries reached unanimous agreement for the capital city of Baku to host COP29, Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan ecology minister, told delegates at COP28 meeting taking place in Dubai on Saturday.
The question of who will host COP29 has hung over the fortnight of COP28 talks. The Eastern European group, which include former Soviet states, holds the rotating presidency in 2024 and had been unable to reach a unanimous agreement on which of them should play host next year. Bulgaria had been moooted, but Russia had said it would block any bid by a European Union member because of the bloc’s support for Ukraine.
However, Russia had no objection to Azerbaijan hosting, Ruslan Edelgeriev, special presidential representative on climate issues of the Russian Federation, told COP28 delegates on Saturday.