French Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher, responsible for climate, announced that she would not go to COP29 after the accusations made by Baku on the actions of Paris in New Caledonia.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had summoned Azerbaijan's ambassador to France, Leyla Abdullayeva, on Tuesday after “unacceptable remarks” of Baku held during the COP29 on the climate which is taking place in the country.
“This summons follows unacceptable remarks made against France and Europeans by the Azerbaijani authorities within the framework of COP29 and as a result of which the Minister of Ecological Transition (…) Agnès Pannier-Runacher had to cancel his participation in this United Nations conference”affirms in a press release the Quai d'Orsay, for which “Azerbaijan’s hostile actions must stop”.
Azerbaijan, whose relations with France are very tense due to French support for its historic enemy Armenia, has been accused by Paris of interference during recent riots in New Caledonia, allegations rejected by Baku. In a speech at COP29 in Baku on November 13, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reiterated his attacks on Paris.
Aliev denounces the “13 people” killed in New Caledonia
In front of representatives of island states, some of whom applauded him heartily, he accused the “President Macron’s regime” to have “killed 13 people and injured 169 people (…) during the legitimate protests of the Kanak people in New Caledonia”. “After all that, France has not been denounced, neither by the European Commission, nor by the European Parliament”thundered the president of Azerbaijan.
In the process, French Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher, responsible for climate, announced that she would not go to COP29, accusing Baku of exploiting “the fight against climate change for an unworthy personal agenda”. “Direct attacks against our country, its institutions and its territories are unjustifiable”castigated Agnès Pannier-Runacher, “the comments made by Azerbaijan in favor of fossil fuels are also unacceptable”she added, judging that “unworthy of a COP presidency”.
No member of the French government is participating in the major climate conference, one of the main issues this year relating to climate finance. Paris, however, sent a negotiating team of around forty experts there.
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