Emmanuel Macron will not be present at COP29 in Azerbaijan, here is why

CLIMATE – A way of condemning an oppressive regime… at the expense of the planet? The Minister of Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, announced Wednesday November 6 that Emmanuel Macron would not go to COP29 which opens in Baku on Monday November 11. If France thus intends to distance itself from the Aliev dynasty, which governs with an iron fist in Azerbaijan, the signal sent for the climate is bad.

Responding to a question from environmentalist senator Yannick Jadot, who asked him to “boycott [la COP29] for the climate, for the Armenians and for human rights »in the context of the border conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the minister assured the Senate that France will not “would not engage in empty chair politics”. In other words, the country will be represented by a delegation, but not by the President of the Republic.

A “complex” relationship with Azerbaijan

Information put into perspective by the Élysée HuffPost this Thursday, November 7, emphasizing that the Head of State “does not systematically participate in all COPs”. “He notably did not attend COP 24 in Poland and COP 25 in Spain,” points to those around him.

But beyond the absence of the President of the Republic among the hundred heads of state and government who will travel to Baku, “no French leader » will not participate in person at COP29, insisted Minister Pannier-Runacher, specifying: “ This is the first time since the Paris agreement » of 2015.

“We have complex, complicated, in diplomatic language, relations with Azerbaijan, and there will be no event in which French officials will participate which would in any way highlight this or that element of Azeri policy”then assured the minister before the Committee on Territorial Planning and Sustainable Development of the Senate. And to affirm that“there will also be no contact with the Azeri authorities that is not related to the COP.”

Relations between Baku and Paris have worsened in recent months, recalls Euronews. Firstly because of France's support for Armenia after the invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave in the Small Caucasus where thousands of Armenians lived, by Azerbaijani forces at the end of 2023. Then, due to numerous disputes, including the arrest of a Frenchman in Azerbaijan, accused of“espionage” in January 2024.

“Of course, I would have preferred this COP to be held elsewhere. I would have preferred that it was not held in Baku since last year, when the vote was taken and we took part in the vote, it was Baku which won against Armenia”to organize the next climate conference, supported Agnès Pannier-Runacher.

However, “it is up to us to wear the colors of the Paris agreement”also argued the minister, while the newly elected American president, Donald Trump, could withdraw the United States, as he did during his first term. “The COP is a multilateral UN negotiation which is the only negotiation (in) relation to the climate which brings together all the countries of the world”she further underlined.

Cascading absences that send a “fatal signal”

Emmanuel Macron is far from being the only one not to go to this annual United Nations climate summit. The outgoing American president, Joe Biden (who will still be in office at the time of the Baku meeting), and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, have also announced their absence. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva canceled his participation due to a head injury, reported Reuters. According to The Guardianthe leaders of China, South Africa, Japan and Australia are also not expected to participate in the discussions.

Even the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, decided not to travel to Azerbaijan. “The Commission is in a transition phase and the President will therefore focus on her institutional functions”justified a spokesperson for the European body. A decision which raised questions about Europe's commitment to the climate crisis. Quoted by The GuardianMichael Bloss, a German Green MEP said it was a “ signal fatal » that Europe's most powerful woman, along with other leaders, chose not to attend the UN conference.

The absence of heads of state is all the more damaging as the stakes at COP29 are high. For the first time in fifteen years, developed countries will have to agree on a new global financing target for poor countries. Except that the main donors, including the European Union and the United States, have still not indicated the amount they are prepared to pay. States must also make new national climate commitments to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Objectives without which the Paris climate agreement risks being definitively buried.

Also see on HuffPost :