The meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran and Turkey to be held in Baku

On 10 and 11 October, Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra attended the last ministerial meeting before COP29. With just a month to go until the COP29 in Baku, it was an important occasion to address topics like climate finance, international carbon markets and Article 6, adaptation, mitigation, transparent reporting and the follow-up of the COP28 commitment to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels.

In a case that is disappointing but not surprising, the agreement between the government of Azerbaijan and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for hosting the climate conference COP29, is replete with significant shortcomings and ambiguities on the protections for participants’ rights. Human Rights Watch has obtained a copy of this host country agreement, signed in August 2024, which has yet to be made public.

On October 12, a video conference meeting was held at the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense with the participation of military leadership, commanders of the branches of the armed forces, and leaders of major military units. Minister of Defense Zakir Hasanov, recalling statements by President Ilham Aliyev, emphasized that the main goal of the army is to enhance military power and combat capabilities, as well as to prepare professional personnel.

As part of a criminal investigation into violations of the law within the structures of the State Service for Mobilization and Military Conscription of Azerbaijan, the head of the Khojavend District branch, Major Sadig Aliyev, has been arrested. According to the press service of the Military Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan, there are reasonable suspicions that Aliyev committed acts as outlined in Article 311.3.2 (repeated bribery) and Article 311.3.3 (receiving a large bribe) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.