Yalchin Rafiyev, Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan and COP29 Lead Negotiator, said that Azerbaijan is increasingly becoming a major hub of global diplomacy in the Eurasian region.

Speaking to AZERTAC, he noted that the country regularly hosts globally significant events. Following the successful hosting of COP29, Baku is set to host the World Urban Forum 13 (WUF13) in May, as well as the Annual Meetings of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit.

The deputy minister emphasized that these events bring together representatives from various countries and provide an important platform for discussing global issues. “The selected topics are also of global importance,” Rafiyev underscored.

He noted that Murat Kurum, President of COP31 and Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Türkiye, as well as COP31 Climate High-Level Champion Samed Ağırbaş, attended the Baku-hosted event. According to Rafiyev, the visit aimed to present the vision of COP31 to the Azerbaijani public, particularly NGOs and youth, noting that such meetings contribute to upcoming COP conferences and enrich international discussions.

Emphasizing the close cooperation between Azerbaijan and Türkiye on COP-related matters, Yalchin Rafiyev said that intensive coordination has been underway since the beginning of the year and will continue in the near future.

He also highlighted that Türkiye plans to promote greater youth involvement in the COP31 process.