'Sea Breeze' to host 5,000 guests for $5.2 million – OCCRP
Ahead of the COP29 climate change conference, Azerbaijan is using the event to improve the image of its authoritarian government. This is what the OCCRP (Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project), a European association of journalists and researchers on the corruption of government officials around the world, said in a report.
World leaders will soon gather on the Caspian Sea to discuss the future of the Earth at the COP29 climate summit, which Azerbaijan is hosting this year.
‘Azerbaijan is the most authoritarian country ever to host the event, surpassing even Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, according to a ranking by human rights organisation 'Freedom House.'
For years, the OCCRP has worked with local journalists to expose how the country's small elite have enriched themselves at the expense of the people. Whether it was mining, banking, hospitality or construction, there was hardly a major industry in Azerbaijan that they did not dominate,’ the report said.
According to the OCCRP report, the owner of the Sea Breeze resort complex won a $5.2 million government contract to host 5,000 COP29 guests on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
Note that the COP29's corporate partners also include 'PASHA Holdings', 'Azersun Holding', 'Silk Way West Airlines', and 'GILTEX'. All these companies have large orders for servicing COP29.
Politics
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Negotiations at the 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku have been extended until November 24, a source in the UNFCCC Secretariat told the Turan news agency. According to the source, participants aim to finalize and sign the concluding documents by that date.
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According to the Turkish newspaper Sabah, officials from the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office's Anti-Smuggling Unit have detained an Azerbaijani citizen with a large shipment of gold. The detention took place near the Vadi İstanbul shopping center in the Sarıyer district, where a taxi was stopped. During the search, 70 kg of gold was found. The Azerbaijani citizen in the vehicle claimed ownership of the cargo and also stated that he was a diplomat. The investigation by the prosecutor's office is ongoing, reports Sabah newspaper. The media outlet does not disclose the name of the "diplomat," only his initials – M.G.Ş. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declined to comment on the situation.
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On November 22, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed negotiations with Azerbaijan regarding a peace treaty in an interview with Public TV. In particular, he emphasized that society should move away from certain stereotypes. “We are outraged when we hear the term ‘Western Azerbaijan.’ But we don’t think that when we say ‘Western Armenia,’ it also irritates anyone,” he stated.
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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock held a meeting with representatives of Azerbaijani civil society in the evening of 22 November at the office of Turan news agency.
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