Jeyhun Bayramov, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Ivana Živković, Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), who is visiting the country to attend the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The meeting revolved around the issues on the current agenda of cooperation between Azerbaijan and UNDP, as well as issues related to Azerbaijan’s COP29 Presidency.
Hailing the successful mutually beneficial cooperation between Azerbaijan and UNDP, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, in particular, noted the implementation of joint projects in advancing the sustainable development agenda. The minister described the establishment of the National Coordination Council on Sustainable Development as an indicator of the country’s systematic approach to this field, noting that the country has submitted three voluntary national reviews so far.
Bayramov also highlighted the country’s efforts to combat the mine threat in the liberated Azerbaijani territories.
FM Bayramov shared details of Azerbaijan’s development strategy based on its wide green energy potential, as well as regional and international projects in green energy, especially the initiative to create a green energy corridor connecting the Caspian and Black Sea basins, emphasizing the importance of the “Agreement between the Governments of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Kazakhstan, and Republic of Uzbekistan on Strategic Partnership in the Development and Transmission of Green Energy” signed on the sidelines of COP29.
The meeting focused on the importance of the active participation of international organizations, including UNDP, in promoting the topic of climate finance, which stands as a pivotal priority of COP29 presidency.
Ivana Živković hailed the cooperation between Azerbaijan and UNDP across various domains. Noting that UNDP attaches special importance to combating the mines threat, the UN Assistant Secretary General mentioned the ongoing joint activities on establishing the International Centre of Excellence and Training for Mine Action together with the Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ANAMA).