COP29 in Azerbaijan (starting on November 11)

In the run-up to the World Climate Conference COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan (November 11 to 22), the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) warns that we should not be fooled by Azerbaijan’s associated charm offensive: “This year’s host country of the COP is an autocratic regime: The president is suppressing the civil society in the country, prisoners are suffering from torture, and the country is on rank 154 – of 180 – on the Corruption Index. Azerbaijan is aggressive towards the outside world – most recently against the approximately 120,000 Artsakh-Armenians who were driven out of Artsakh in September 2023. The expulsion, which was contrary to international law, was preceded by a months-long hunger blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only access road to Artsakh. We must not be deceived by oil wealth and flattering rhetoric: We are dealing with an autocracy that tramples on international law and human rights,” warned Sarah Reinke, head of human rights work at the STP, in Göttingen on Thursday.
Thus, the German delegation should use all talks to advocate for the release of the 23 Artsakh-Armenian political prisoners. “Remaining silent on Artsakh during the summit in Baku will only encourage Alijev to further aggression! For months, he has been calling Armenia ‘West Azerbaijan’, making his ambitions clear. This is why the German delegation should demand a release of the prisoners, a return of displaced persons to their homeland, and an end to the destruction of cultural heritage sites in Artsakh,” Reinke demanded. However, the most attention is required after the COP29: Many people in Artsakh fear that Alijev will – strengthened by the COP29 – commit even more crimes as soon as there is less international attention on the country.