No:219/25, Press release on the visit of Deputy Minister Yalchin Rafiyev to Istanbul
31 May 2025 00:02
On 30 May 2025, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chief Negotiator for COP29 Yalchin Rafiyev participated in the conference titled “Bridging COP29 to COP30: diplomacy, action and the road ahead for climate”, organized by the Consulate General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Istanbul, Türkiye.
Representatives of international organizations accredited in Istanbul, consulates general and international media attended the event.
In the panel discussions held within the framework of the conference, along with Deputy Minister Y. Rafiyev, the Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Türkiye Fatma Varank, Vice Rector of Boğaziçi University Prof. Dr. Gürkan Selçuk Kumbaroğlu, and General Manager of VAT Energy Murat Altuğ Karataş participated.
In his remarks, Deputy Minister Y. Rafiyev stated that the decisions adopted at COP29 are of historic significance, particularly noting that the outcome achieved on climate finance represents the largest climate finance decision ever agreed through negotiations within the UN system and that it tripled the previous financial target. It was noted that currently, based on the mandate from COP29, work is underway by the Azerbaijani and Brazilian Presidencies on preparing a report on the “Baku to Belém Roadmap” aimed at increasing climate finance to 1.3 trillion, and that this report is expected to be presented at COP30.
The Deputy Minister also noted that another important historic development was the agreement reached in Baku under Azerbaijan’s leadership on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, after 10 years of inconclusive negotiations, thereby enabling the operationalization of the carbon trading mechanism.
It was also highlighted that, alongside the negotiation track, important initiatives have been announced within the framework of the COP29 Presidency Action Agenda, and that the number of states and non-state actors joining these initiatives is steadily increasing.
In addition, Deputy Minister Y. Rafiyev emphasized that Türkiye is a worthy candidate to host COP31 and wished success to the brotherly country in this regard. He noted that, in the event Türkiye secures the right to host the next COP, Azerbaijan stands ready to share its successful experience with its counterparts from the brotherly country and to provide the necessary support.
Within the framework of the visit, Deputy Minister Y. Rafiyev also held bilateral meetings with the Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Türkiye Fatma Varank, as well as with the Secretaries General of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization and the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation.
