At COP29 in Baku, developed countries made every effort to avoid establishing any responsibility to developing nations regarding climate goal financing, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a weekly briefing, responding to a question from BAKU TV, Report informs.
"One of the West's methods was attempting to expand the circle of donors by including major Global South countries. This shifting of responsibility would largely free former colonial powers from commitments to climatically vulnerable states at the expense of countries that themselves suffered from colonialism in the past. This is exactly the neo-colonialism we're talking about, which we disagree with and will fight against," noted the Russian Foreign Ministry representative.
Earlier at COP29, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made several provocative statements, particularly suggesting shifting the EU's financial responsibility for climate financing to other negotiating parties.
"I think our Azerbaijani colleagues were lucky that she didn't make a statement about the need for a 360-degree turn on this issue. That would have been something. Everyone would have wondered how to do that. So she apparently restrained herself from making another foolish statement," Zakharova commented on Baerbock's statement.