COP29 experience will be key in hosting globally significant events in Baku – OPINION

The current international relations system is facing a serious crisis due to its inability to properly address the challenges created by the post-Cold War era and the indifference of some powers to the supreme principles of international law, Sultan Zahidov, a lecturer at the Faculty of International Relations and Economics of Baku State University (BSU) and political scientist, told Report.

According to Zahidov, the raging conflicts and wars in different corners of the world today are a sign of a serious unity problem between the states, cultures and peoples:

"However, global threats such as nuclear threat, financial crises, pandemics and climate change actually prompt the need for the world to unite under one umbrella."

The political scientist said that Azerbaijan will contribute to creating an environment of dialogue and cooperation between north, south, east and west, while drawing public attention to environmental threats and ways to combat them within the framework of the COP29 conference:

"Discriminatory policies, neo-colonial interests and exploitation are causing disagreements and a widening gap between the global north and south on many issues today. Unfortunately, wars in different parts of the world distract humanity's attention from the issue of global climate change, which can lead to more dangerous and tragic consequences.

Manifestations of colonialism and discriminatory policies are noticeable even on the issue of global climate change. Although vulnerable communities in the global south suffer more from climate change, there are still powers in the northern hemisphere that do not pay enough attention to this problem.

Azerbaijan, which will host one of the world's most prestigious and important events, will contribute to creating an environment of dialogue and cooperation between north, south, east and west, while drawing the attention of the international community to environmental threats and ways to combat them."

According to Zahidov, considering the country's Baku Process initiative promoting dialogue between different cultures, successful chairmanship experience in the Non-Aligned Movement and active representation in other international organizations, Azerbaijan is capable of playing the role of a bridge that will facilitate solidarity and consensus between the global South and global North.

"COP29 is an opportunity to put aside discrepancies and contribute to global peace and the climate agenda. Therefore, Azerbaijan, taking into account the connection between conflicts and the increasingly acute climate crisis, has announced the Joint Solemn Appeal for a COP29 Truce. Azerbaijan is also making efforts to achieve universal goals such as bringing together the global North and South at COP29 and playing the role of a bridge between developed and developing countries," the political scientist said.

The expert emphasized that within the framework of the conference, it is possible for Azerbaijan to further expand relations with Latin American, Caribbean and African countries:

"Azerbaijan has become one of the leading powers in discussing and solving regional and even global threats. Undoubtedly, while all these processes place additional and broader obligations on the country's diplomacy, they also create the expectation that our diplomacy will gain more experience from both bilateral and multilateral contacts. COP29 not only creates an opportunity for Azerbaijan to deepen its relations with close partners but also reveals the potential to conduct discussions around new cooperation agreements in various fields with countries relatively far from our region. In this regard, I think that amid the upcoming COP29, it is possible to further expand our relations with Latin American, Caribbean and African countries, which have been developing in a positive direction so far."

Zahidov said that Azerbaijan's hosting of the Baku Process, Global Baku Forum, as well as events of the Non-Aligned Movement, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Organization of Turkic States, Economic Cooperation Organization and other organizations has turned the country into a platform for global discussions:

"The successful leadership of the Non-Aligned Movement, which is considered the world's largest platform after the UN, during the difficult pandemic period, the increase in member countries' trust in Azerbaijan and the extension of the chairmanship period for another year is a clear example that our country is not at all left out of global discussions and processes."

The political scientist stated that the experiences gained from COP29 will play a key role in holding various global political, economic and humanitarian events and conferences in Baku in the future:

"We can predict that the COP29 event will further increase Azerbaijan's international reputation and that our country will host globally significant events in the future, and even become a place for negotiations between global powers with conflicting interests. The actors of the international relations system, which is on the verge of the next world war, must end splitting lines and geopolitical interest confrontations by unifying in order to be able to fight global threats such as climate change. Dialogue and discussions are the main conditions for this to happen. I think that official Baku can play a key role as a host in making such discussions happen, as well as in solving global problems."