The Guardian puts in limelight Azerbaijani Ambssador's response to biased accusations against Baku ahead of COP29

The blog post of David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, which made a noise in the Armenian lobby about the Garabagh truths, is still being discussed in the British media for several days now. The British diplomat's emphasising the truth, which especially shattered the dreams of the Armenian lobby, then led to biased accusations against Azerbaijan.

Azernews reports via British media that Azerbaijan's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Elin Suleymanov, responded to some "journalists" in the pocket of the Armenian lobby groundlessly criticising the COP29 event to be held in Azerbaijan in November this year. The Azerbaijani diplomat clarified these accusations, which are full of prejudice, in his statement to The Guardian, one of the well-known British daily newspapers.

He said that the COP event to be held in Baku promotes peace, in fact.

"Your report is correct to emphasise the importance of COP29 in Azerbaijan for global efforts on climate action. It is also true that Azerbaijan’s COP presidency has offered a COP truce initiative, akin to the Olympic truce, to cease hostilities in conflicts around the world for the duration of the conference.

Peace in our fractious region was unthinkable for decades. That our region, as a direct result of peace negotiations, can now host COP29 should give hope to the world even in these times of heightened geopolitical tensions," the diplomat said.

The ambassador said that today the COP event, which is subject to unfounded criticism by Western media and pro-Armenian political speculators, is actually being held in Azerbaijan with the consent of Armenia.

"Azerbaijan’s conflict with our neighbour Armenia lasted the better part of three decades. So the significance of Armenia moving to support Azerbaijan’s ultimately successful bid to host Cop29 must not be understated. The peace that had eluded our nations for 30 years is at last in reach. So no – it is not “hypocrisy” nor “cynical PR” that for Cop29 we are calling for a global truce. Nor, as seems to be suggested by activists quoted in the article, does Azerbaijan having a standing military make it so. By that logic, all peace-making should be abandoned and the UN Security Council dissolved.

Moreover, the well-rehearsed allegation that Azerbaijan “ethnically cleansed” lands illegally occupied for decades by Armenia has been debunked – including at a UN security council meeting called by Armenia. Nor has the status of those lands ever been “disputed” – the UN and every country in the world, including Armenia’s current leadership, recognise them as Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory.