Organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center under the patronage of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the 12th Global Baku Forum, themed “Rethinking World Order: Turning Challenges into Opportunities,” began at the Gulustan Palace in Baku on March 13.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the opening ceremony of the Forum.
The family photo was taken first.
Ismail Serageldin, Co-Chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, declared the 12th Global Baku Forum open, welcomed the participants, and highlighted the significance of the discussions taking place at the event. He then gave the floor to President Ilham Aliyev for his speech.
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The head of state delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.
Speech by President Ilham Aliyev
– Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning, welcome to Baku.
I greet all our guests at the annual Global Baku Forum. First of all, I’d like to express my gratitude to you for being with us. I’d also like to congratulate the Nizami Ganjavi International Center on its extraordinary activity throughout all these years and also for organizing this important international event.
We are very proud that the Global Baku Forum has become one of the leading international platforms for addressing important issues of global agenda. Yesterday, I met with the board members.
Today, I’d like to say that we are really very grateful to all the members of the center, its board, and the co-chairs – Madam Freiberga and Mr. Serageldin – for their contribution to really magnificent transformation of the center and worldwide activity. I’d also like to say that we were very happy to see members of the NGIC actively participating in COP29, which was held last November in Azerbaijan. Several members of the center were among the Advisory Committee. The center held 16 panel discussions—actually hosted them and organized them—and participated in even more panel discussions with its pavilion. It was a big contribution to the success of COP29. That was the main international event last year in Azerbaijan.
We were really very proud to have been selected by the unanimous decision of almost 200 countries. That was a sign of respect for us, trust in us, and also an appreciation of our activity on the green transition. Although we are rich in fossil fuels, but our agenda is to concentrate on renewables. Today, it is already fully decided that in the coming years, Azerbaijan’s renewable energy capacity will be almost equal to its power generation from fossil fuels. Today, installed power generation capacity in Azerbaijan is 8 gigawatt. By 2030, we will have 6.5 gigawatt of additional installed energy capacity from renewables – primarily sun and wind, as well as hydro, mainly in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. So, we will almost double our today’s potential.
That will allow us to be an exporter of not only oil and gas but also of green energy. These figures are absolutely realistic. They’re based on already signed contracts and MOUs.
We already see the implementation of these projects. So the decision to organize COP29 in Azerbaijan, I think, was also driven by this very responsible approach of Azerbaijan towards its energy resources.
Again, I’d like to underline that the country is not in shortage of energy supply. On the contrary, today Azerbaijan is providing energy security for more than a dozen countries. Twelve of them are recipients of Azerbaijani natural gas. Ten out of twelve are European countries.
So, it’s not by chance that the European Commission has called Azerbaijan a reliable partner and also a pan-European energy supplier. Today, oil and gas from Azerbaijan are really making a big change in energy security and actually strengthening the energy security of many countries. When we add to that our green energy sources along with a new energy cable that will stretch from Azerbaijan to Europe, partly on the Black Sea, that will be another demonstration of our responsibility and close partnership with many countries. Because it’s not enough to have only energy resources; you must have good relations with your neighbors and the neighbors of your neighbors to be able to deliver the projects of energy, security, connectivity.
Talking about connectivity, I’d like to say that due to recent geopolitical changes, the volume of cargo transportation through Azerbaijan has grown dramatically. We are well prepared for that because we have already done our homework. Now we just need to expand the capacity of our seaport, railroad infrastructure to be able to receive all the cargo, which has been diverted to Azerbaijan in recent years. So this, of course, adds to the geopolitical importance of our region, the region of the South Caucasus, where we are still working to achieve peace.
What else can I say about COP? First, it was very challenging because we had to organize this event in less than one year. Usually, countries are given two years to prepare. That was successfully done based on a unanimous opinion.
Second, we had to deliver results. And here, our diversified foreign policy helped us. Because for four years, we chaired the Non-Aligned Movement, the institution of 120 countries, and actively supported member states in different situations, including during the COVID time, providing humanitarian and financial assistance to more than 80 countries. At the same time, through active communication with European actors, we have seen our role as a kind of bridge builder between the Global South and the Global North. I think we achieved success because it was not easy to agree on many substantial issues during COP29.
One of the milestones, one of the achievements, was consensus on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which was a stumbling block for more than 10 years. So, for more than 10 years, parties could not agree on that. But here, we managed to achieve consensus and make the carbon market functional. This is instrumental for the future development of the process. Another important achievement was that at COP29 in Baku, we managed to increase the funding for renewable energy projects from the original 100 to 300 billion US dollars. Yes, we know that some countries were not fully satisfied with that. They expected an even bigger increase. I think what we managed to do is to triple the financing, which should be properly appreciated. Therefore, COP29 in Baku is called the Baku Breakthrough, and that’s an important legacy.
I’d like to say that, unfortunately, this global international event was accompanied by a campaign in some Western media, which President Trump calls fake news—and I fully agree with him— a campaign to discredit Azerbaijan, blackmail us, and spread rumors and different disinformation. We’ve been accused that we are a country with oil and gas production. But before us, there have been several countries, including European, which also have oil and gas. But it was okay for this so-called media to ignore that. Azerbaijan’s oil production is 10 times less than production of Canada, just for instance. Our contribution to global gas emissions is only 0.1%. We know who the biggest contributors to global gas emissions are. Nevertheless, on a regular basis, sometimes more than a dozen articles daily were aimed at presenting Azerbaijan as a petrol state and as a country, we do not deserve to host a global event. All that was generated from several centers, actually two: one in the US State Department. The fake news outlets like the Washington Post, New York Times, Politico, Newsweek, and the Associated Press were just implementing the instructions of the US State Department.
The second source was the office of the President of France, Mr. Macron, through their fake news media like Le Monde, Figaro, and others. So, it was a coordinated campaign of blackmail and slander aimed at boycotting COP29.
There can be different reasons. But one of them was that they could not impose their will on us. They could not change our policy aimed at the full restoration of our sovereignty and territorial integrity. They could not absorb the fact that here in the Caucasus, there is a country, which follows its own national interests and does not say ‘Yes, sir’ to so-called big bosses. Unfortunately, the government of France even went further, advocating for many countries to boycott COP29. We have credible information from the world leaders who attended COP29 and informed us about that, and from those who did not come but conveyed the message that, personally, the President of France was campaigning against COP29.
This is a kind of politics, which does not give credit to anyone. But regardless, we had big representation. There have been 77,000 registered participants, including 70 heads of state and government from 197 countries. The only country, which boycotted COP29 was Armenia.
On the Armenia-Azerbaijan process, we cannot and we will not forget the years of occupation and the suffering of the Azerbaijani people, which was caused by Armenian occupation and aggression. Those who visit the liberated territories can see the level of barbarism. So all our cities are in ruins. Now we are rebuilding them. But everything was leveled to the ground, and that was a deliberate urbicide against our villages, cities, against our religious and historical heritage. So, 65 mosques were demolished, and in those mosques, which were half demolished, they kept pigs and cows in order to insult the feelings of not only Azerbaijanis but all Muslims in the world. We will not forget that.
We will not forget the genocide of Khojaly, when Armenians killed 613 innocent people, more than 60 children, and more than 100 women. But at the same time, we need to look to the future, and we need to have peace in the Southern Caucasus, and that’s why Azerbaijan was the initiator of the peace process. Actually, Azerbaijan was even the author of the draft peace agreement, which today is being discussed between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and largely agreed. So, most of the paragraphs have been agreed.
Our fight was a fight for justice, for international law, for our dignity. We implemented the UN Security Council resolutions, which remained on paper for 27 years and would have remained for 27 years more, if we did not liberate our land by force. Here we come to a very important factor that sometimes you have to use force to achieve peace and to restore justice. Today we see it. We see how the European Union is trying to change its policy towards building strong military potential. We see other countries concentrating their resources on building military potential and infrastructure. We’ve been doing that for at least 20 years since 2005, and have created a strong army, which liberated our territory and put an end to separatism and separatists. Today, the full restoration of territorial integrity and sovereignty is a demonstration, of not only the strong will of the Azerbaijani people, but also international justice. At the same time, of course, we, as I said, have a good memory. We all remember how the current Armenian government behaved prior to the Second Karabakh War. We all remember statements by the Armenian leader who said that “Karabakh is Armenia,” and that was said in Khankendi. We all remember how he behaved in the occupied city of Shusha. You can find it on the internet. It’s a very interesting video.
Today, some European bureaucrats try to present Armenia as a dove of peace, but they forget what this current government was doing. They forget that during the Second Karabakh War, they were shelling our cities and villages. We lost more than 100 civilians because of their missiles, including Iskander-M, which was actually forbidden for export. We still have not received an answer to ‘How did the Armenian army take possession of Iskander-M?’ Because this missile is forbidden in Russia for export. Those who do not believe what I say can just take a drive, maybe 5-10 minutes from here to our Military Trophy Park and see the Iskander-M missile, which we found in Shusha. We found it already in spring 2021, because it was covered by snow. It was launched to Shusha when we liberated the city.
So, that was done by order of the Armenian Prime Minister. Ganja, Tartar, Barda, Mingachevir, Agjabadi etc., and many other cities were just under regular shell attacks from Armenia. We didn’t do it; we were fighting against the Armenian army, the occupying Armenian army. They were fighting with civilians. This is the difference, and the same was in the First Karabakh War, when they created the so-called “Buffer Zone,” but actually, they called it like that. But that was occupied territories. They expelled hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis and conducted ethnic cleansing. We will never forget it. I can tell you one more thing that the level of trust to Armenia is close to zero. So, we do not trust any of their words.
Because they are not the people who we can trust, including today’s government. Again, all that they say, for us, has zero meaning. We need documents; we need papers. We need their constitution to be free of territorial claims against Azerbaijan. It still contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan. We need the OSCE Minsk Group to be dissolved. We convey this message to Armenia, saying that there is no logic in keeping the Minsk Group. It was created to address the issue of Karabakh. Now Karabakh is done. Armenia recognizes Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. Why don’t you join us in a joint application to the OSCE to dissolve it? They don’t want. So, they want to keep “a part of their feet” on the ground, on our territory, now virtually, of course. Their military build-up – what does it demonstrate?
It demonstrates that they are preparing for a new war. Who is pushing them to war again? France and its President. Deadly weapons, which they supplied to Armenia, are aimed at us. Caesar howitzers, which today maybe be needed in other places, are being sent to Armenia. The so-called European monitoring mission, which is actually a reconnaissance mission of the European Union, is spying day and night on our border, looking just for places where they can penetrate. And we have enough intelligence information on this so-called monitoring mission. The European Peace Facility is providing millions of dollars to Armenia to weaponize it. Yes, they say they provide this money for non-lethal military installations.
But first, who can check this? And second, you give them 10 million, and then another 10 million is planned to be given. So, that actually allows Armenia to save money to buy weapons. Not only France is supplying deadly weapons. Why are they doing it? For what are they preparing? If they want peace, there is no need for that. Many times we have raised this issue with Armenian representatives and with their new bosses in Brussels. Because now they have changed the big brother; and today it’s Brussels. Until President Trump won, it was the State Department, it was USAID. It was corrupt American politicians like Menendez, who are now facing serious problems. But Menendez should not be the last one. As they say, one swallow does not make a summer. There are many more who put Armenian money in their pockets. I can name them. Their names are known: Mr. Adam Schiff, Mr. Frank Pallone, Madam Nancy Pelosi, and many others, who for decades were receiving money from Armenian diaspora organizations in the United States to attack Azerbaijan and discredit it. So, we wish President Trump success in draining the swamp. It’s not easy, but it must be done. We are ready to share information with American authorities about the illegal activity of USAID in Azerbaijan: how they bribed people, channeled financing illegally, violated Azerbaijani laws and regulations. Now it’s time to be responsible for it. We are ready to provide all the information in our possession.
Definitely, at the forum, the new geopolitical situation will be discussed. As you can imagine from my comments, we are very enthusiastic with respect to what is happening now in America. Why? It’s very simple. Because the policy of Mr. Antony Blinken towards Azerbaijan actually ruined US-Azerbaijani relations, which we had been building for 30 years. We have always been a very reliable partner and friend to the United States. When they needed us, we were with them. When they needed us in Iraq, we were in Iraq with our troops. When they needed us in Afghanistan, we were one of the first non-NATO countries to join operations in Afghanistan in 2001. And we were among the last to leave. After we left, they imposed sanctions on us. I remember it was a big frustration in Azerbaijan. I told some of their representatives, “How can we trust you?” So, when you need us, you waive the sanctions. When you don’t need us any longer, you re-impose the sanctions. How can we build long-term relations with you? So we are very enthusiastic. First, because we in Azerbaijan managed to save US-Azerbaijan relations from total collapse, despite all the efforts of the US State Department. And secondly, we hope that with the new administration, we will rebuild our strong partnership, which has always been important for the South Caucasus, for peace, security, anti-terror operations, the modern development of our region.
Definitely, it will be very interesting to listen to speakers today throughout the forum. As always, I’m sure the forum and its members will generate ideas and approaches, especially now when the forum takes place after this dramatic geopolitical change.
Once again, thank you for being with us. Thank you for accepting our invitation, and I wish the forum success.
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Addressing the event, Bajram Begaj, President of the Republic of Albania, said:
– Thank you. Good morning.
Dear Mr. President Aliyev, let me start by expressing my gratitude for the invitation and thank you for your warm hospitality. I can assure you that COP29 was a great success for your country.
Honorable President Aliyev, esteemed Excellencies, distinguished friends, and guests,
It’s truly an honor to be among you today as we reaffirm the importance of multilateral dialogue as an inclusive mechanism. Nowadays, the motto “turning challenges into opportunities” is not just a goal but a necessity. The Nizami Ganjavi Global Baku Forum is an important forum that delivers messages of hope in a world of increasing uncertainty— a world that we once recognized before the pandemic. Before the onset of armed conflicts in some parts of the globe, the world was no longer the same, leading us toward the unknown. Crises have increased, and the foundation of global stability seems to be increasingly fragile. Conflicts in various forms and regions continue, while the shadows of the past seem to dominate the present. The world today is facing not just a political crisis or an economic downturn. Today, the world stands at a crossroads in defending the values we cherish. Freedom, democracy, human dignity, justice, and security are being tested. They are being tested by conflicts, hybrid threats, organized crime, immigration, misinformation, and the temptation to impose force and instill fear. When fear prevails over courage, when division replaces unity, and when the use of force attempts to obstruct justice, civilization and society fail. But moments of crisis often bring both challenges and new opportunities. The challenges to the international order, the attack on Ukraine, and other conflicts have significantly undermined security. In a war defined by continental and global interaction, the need to restore peace is essential. But more important is safeguarding borders and preserving state sovereignty. National challenges for addressing organized crime and hybrid threats are difficult to overcome when no active and continuous regional and international cooperation exists.
The wave of illegal immigration toward Europe has highlighted that border control is no longer sufficient if the cause is not addressed, and the entire mechanism is not prevented. The experience of managing the COVID-19 pandemic taught us that the most effective solution remains a unified response mechanism, as well as long-term investment in science and technology. We must embrace, support, and promote technological development and artificial intelligence. Those innovations are tools for empowering individuals, communities, and nations, not for hindering their development. Despite the rapid technological development that has already permeated every tale of our lives, we must remain true to our values. Today’s world, the most technologically advanced and interconnected in history, was not built in easy times. It was shaped through challenges. We need courage and a clear vision to ensure peace, security, economic growth, and implement policies that truly change the lives of our citizens. We need a global order where economies are sustainable, where conflicts are resolved rather than left unresolved, where societies are strengthened not by division, but by our solidarity, and where peace is built and consolidated on the solid foundation of trust and cooperation. To ensure a livable world tomorrow, we need sustainability in the present.
Ladies and gentlemen, the experience of my country is proof of a difficult and challenging journey. Albania has gone through it—from totalitarianism to democracy, from insecurity to NATO membership, from a closed economy to a free-market economy, and from an isolated country to a country with 10 million tourists per year, and now a country that is an inspiring candidate to become a member of the European Union. Albania has chosen democracy and strongly believes in its values.
Albania has embraced a partnership with the United States of America because it strongly believes in Euro-Atlantic values. It has chosen the European Union and believes in this significant initiative for ensuring peace, security, and prosperity. Contemporary Albania has managed to unite the energy of Albanians, both within and outside the country, to transform challenges into opportunities, their ideas, aspirations, and ambitions. The younger generation has been and remains crucial for their realization.
Distinguished participants, dear friends, and guests, Albania strongly believes in the power of cooperation and dialogue, recognizing the new opportunities they bring. We believe that nothing can be achieved without peace and security. Therefore, we are committed to ensuring dialogue and democratic stability within our region and beyond.
In closing my speech, I would like to mention the friendship between Albania and Azerbaijan. Our long-standing friendship is reflected in our mutual cooperation, particularly in the economy and infrastructure. I remain committed to continuing and strengthening this friendly relationship for the benefit of our people, enabling us to build the future together with our citizens, with our neighbors, with our partners, regardless of geographical proximity.
I thank this forum for being an excellent platform for dialogue centered on peace, security, and development.
Wishing you all productive discussions and great success. Thank you so much.
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Addressing the event, Željka Cvijanović, Chairwoman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said:
– Thank you. Good morning, Mr. President.
Dear participants,
Thank you for the invitation to participate in this important discussion today. I will start by saying that there are many troubled areas in the world and many negative developments. It is logical to assess whether these challenges can be turned into opportunities for us. I come from a country that, unfortunately, is going through its biggest political and constitutional crisis in its 30 years of existence. And I have to admit that I have a very bad feeling about the consequences that we might see. But generally speaking, in relation to this topic, everybody is waiting to see what international relations will look like now that the Trump administration is in place. I would say that the American deep state, globalists, and bureaucratic elites in Europe have used Bosnia and Herzegovina as an experiment for radical nation-building in order to create a centralized state, very different from the one envisaged and created by the Dayton Agreement, which was a decentralized state. The fact is that this experiment, after three decades, has only produced a failing state and has also failed to impose a common national identity that would turn Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks into one nation. Their main tool has been a weaponized judicial system, where, in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Constitutional Court, with three foreign judges siding with two Bosnian judges, ousts Serb and Croat judges in all decisions, effectively changing the Dayton Peace Agreement and our constitution to illegally create a unitary nation-state. This Constitutional Court acts by changing our constitution instead of protecting the existing one. Another example of this weaponized judiciary is the BiH court, which, by the way, was not envisaged by the Dayton Agreement, where a political trial has come to its inglorious end, resulting in a verdict that could throw Bosnia and Herzegovina into the pit of violence and dissolution. The legally elected President of the Republic of Srpska, one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been tried for fulfilling his constitutional duties by signing laws passed by the Republic of Srpska National Assembly. I would like to underscore this: by doing his constitutional duty to sign legislation passed in the National Assembly, the first-instance verdict reads one year of imprisonment and a six-year ban from running for president or any other political office. This all happened because a foreigner named Christian Schmidt, who claims to have been hired by a representative of a German pretender to absolute power, in violation of international law, the Dayton Agreement, the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Constitution of the Republic of Srpska, imposed a revision to the Criminal Code, making it a crime for anyone to refuse to abide by his illegal and autocratic decisions. So, there is an individual, a non-elected foreigner, who, contrary to our Constitution and the legislation we have in Bosnia and Herzegovina, decided to change our criminal code to impose punishment on elected officials of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This trial is a glaring example of warfare, which is a typical abuse of the legal system, where the legal system is weaponized to target and dismantle political opposition under the guise of justice. In this case, it is being carried out by an unelected foreign official who represents nobody in the country where he acts. What we are witnessing is a calculated effort to undermine a democratically elected leader for standing up for his people’s sovereignty and traditional values. I’m convinced that Bosnia and Herzegovina must move away from these politically motivated actions and focus on building a truly democratic system where elected leaders can determine policy, the judiciary is not used as a tool of political warfare, and the law serves the people, not the interests of a few unelected officials who do not represent a single voter in the land where they impose their will. The abuse of the judicial system forces the legal and legitimate institutions and elected officials of the Republic of Srpska to fight an existential battle to preserve the Dayton Agreement and the constitutional autonomy and powers granted to our republic and people, as well as to other people who live in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In all likelihood, the response from Germany would be an emperor-like figure, and the weaponized judiciary would be one of repression, threats of violence, retribution, and further political warfare. What I’m trying to explain here is that when we speak about democracy, a new order, and true mechanisms to protect the rights of our people, this is what we face in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a colony, sadly speaking, the only one currently existing. And nobody wants to speak about Bosnia and Herzegovina using the right words or trying to understand what’s happening there. Many of the wrongdoings of foreigners who acted there are being hidden from the international public, and I think this is a good opportunity for me, whenever I participate in such forums, to speak about these injustices and wrongdoings committed by outsiders.
So, I truly believe that Bosnia and Herzegovina can move forward only if we have internal dialogue. Having internal dialogue means that all three constituent peoples and their representatives should sit together and decide what they can do with their own country, because that country belongs to us. It doesn’t belong to Christian Schmidt, the EU, the USA, or anyone else. That would be the recipe I could offer. That is the only recipe that could enable us to live together in the future as well.
Thank you for your attention, and thank you, Mr. President, for giving us the opportunity to share all these stories here with you.
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Addressing the event Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, President of the Republic of North Macedonia, said:
– Distinguished President Aliyev, esteemed Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to our wonderful host, the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, for their invitation to participate in this 12th Global Baku Forum in Azerbaijan. Despite the geographical distance, our two friendly countries are bound by deeply rooted ties. These countries are civilizational crossroads with a long history of multi-ethnic and multi-religious coexistence. Both regained independence in 1991 and are committed to multilateralism and cooperation within the framework of the UN. However, there is yet another thing that connects us. Azerbaijan is the land of fire, and I, on the other hand, come from the land of the sun. As one of our Macedonian poets said, the sun is the oldest fire one can warm themselves by. I have experienced this warmth over the past few days during my official visit to the friendly Republic of Azerbaijan.
Thank you once again, President Aliyev, for your warm hospitality. Azerbaijani hospitality is also gaining an international dimension through the Global Baku Forum, which has grown into one of the most significant international platforms in recent years. Drawing on the experience and wisdom of several generations of leaders, the Global Baku Forum addresses the most important regional and global issues.
Esteemed Excellencies, this is especially important in the year 2025, which some expect to be a turning point. Day by day, more and more questions arise, and fewer and fewer answers emerge. The world is becoming a very different place. Multilateralism is giving way to multipolarity. The growing geopolitical rivalry is weakening the system of collective security. The United Nations has become marginalized when we need it most. The post-World War II consensus is being called into question. How can we live in the dawn of a new era in which the rules-based international system is being undermined?
Not long ago, German President Steinmeier declared at the Munich Security Conference that the absence of rules must not become the guiding principle of the new world order, because that would mean abandoning our most important civilizational achievement, set out 80 years ago in the Charter of the United Nations. The question is not whether we will have rules, but what kind of rules they will be, and what they will be based on—whether on the principle of Pacta Sunt Servanda or the principle of power. Is there a clash of values and realities in addition to the clash of interests? Can we resolve the greatest crises and challenges of our time without shared rules? What kind of world will we leave for our youth and future generations? These are just some of the questions we will be considering at this year’s Global Baku Forum. I am honored to share my insights with you at the third panel, dedicated to the United Nations Pact for the Future.
Dear friends, 80 years ago, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to former United States Secretary of State Cordell Hull for his role in founding the United Nations. In his address, he recalled that the key issue for people and nations is whether they have suffered enough and learned enough to cast aside suspicion, prejudice, short-term and narrow interests, and unite in the advancement of their greatest common interest. That overshadowing common interest is lasting peace, within which the newly discovered powers of mankind’s science and technology can be harnessed to improve the well-being of mankind to unprecedented heights.
I deeply believe that the Global Baku Forum can offer us fresh perspectives on how to continue working toward achieving and preserving that supreme common interest.
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The former President of Latvia, Vaira-Vike Freiberga, said in her remarks that the 12th Global Baku Forum had brought together people representing a diversity of views in a neutral and friendly environment. Indicating that the Forum was an excellent opportunity for an exchange of views on the world’s global challenges, the former President said, “It will be best if I begin my speech on behalf of the Advisory Board of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center and my colleague Ismail Serageldin with words of special gratitude to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, for his support in both launching this initiative and its continued development. Mr. President has supported and opened the doors for a very neutral and friendly environment for the growing number of leaders from different countries of the world and people with different views to come together.”
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In his remarks, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, thanked Azerbaijan for hosting such an important international event as COP29. He said, “I came here a few months ago for COP29, and today I would like to congratulate President Aliyev for hosting such a well-organized event after such a short time. Your Excellency, most importantly, I congratulate you on the significant results you have achieved. We all know that the negotiations were not easy, but as a result important commitments were made for climate finance, mitigation and adaptation measures. In short, this is multilateralism. States came together to find common solutions to common problems.”
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The High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, described the 12th Global Baku Forum as an important platform for the discussion and solution of problems threatening the world order. He said, “It is always a great pleasure to come to Baku again, and I am thankful to the Nizami Ganjavi International Center for this opportunity.
I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to His Excellency President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for receiving me yesterday and for the constructive discussion of many important issues. Your Excellency, despite the short-term nature of my visit to Baku this time, I would like to thank you for finding the time in your busy schedule to receive me.”
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The Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Rebeca Grynspan, drew attention to the uneven distribution of artificial intelligence and new innovations that have been rapidly developing in recent times. She also expressed her gratitude for the support the Government of Azerbaijan has provided for dialogue in this direction. She said: “Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, Mr. President, I would like to thank you for organizing such a Forum. Mr. President, we are thankful to you for being here with us today. We have actually felt your personal and your government’s strong support. We have also jointly considered taking some steps in the area of trade. We think that it would be important to take steps in this direction, both in terms of eliminating problems in general and in trade specifically. For this, we are grateful to you and very pleased to be here.”
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The Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Tatiana Valovaya, said that the 12th Global Baku Forum was an important event for ensuring international peace and security. She noted, “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to His Excellency President Aliyev for the hospitality shown to us and for his support in the establishment of this dialogue platform for global changes. We are pleased to be visiting the beautiful city of Baku. I am also grateful to the Nizami Ganjavi International Center for organizing the 12th Global Baku Forum. As we know, this event is held every year.”
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The Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, drew attention to the issues of energy security and climate change in his remarks and described Azerbaijan as a reliable partner in addressing the energy crisis of Europe, as well as other countries. He said, “Many countries have once again realized during the energy crisis that Azerbaijan is a reliable and trustworthy partner. This has been proven yet again. I do hope that gas exports from Azerbaijan to Europe will increase in the future. I also hope that Azerbaijan’s ‘green corridor’ agenda, a project of an electric power cable running across the Black Sea to Europe, will be successful.”
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Speaking at the end of the forum, the Co-Chair of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, Ismail Serageldin, stated that the 12th Baku Global Forum was an important platform that brought together world leaders, representatives of international organizations and scientists for an open and meaningful discussion. “We have heard and will hear different opinions on a wide range of topics here. The presence of valuable participants here will provide us with the opportunity to build bridges and analyze these issues. Of course, the traditional Global Baku Forum has always been distinguished by a diversity of opinions, including the presentation of rational arguments,” Ismail Serageldin concluded.
