The annual Petersberg Climate Dialogue conference has taken place in Berlin, Germany. Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister, opened the conference with a reminder to countries with major economies to take responsibility for climate targets.
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00:00 It is so important today to come together, to hear everybody, all the parties and a lot of expectations.
00:08 Hello and welcome to Berlin. We are at the Petersburg Climate Dialogue and I'm very pleased to say we are joined by Mr. Mukhtar Babaev,
00:20 who is the President-designate for COP29 that will take place in Baku in Azerbaijan later this year.
00:27 Mr. Babaev, thank you for joining us today. Can you begin by telling me why are events like this so important when tackling global climate issues?
00:37 I think for us, for our team, it is the main task to, at least on the first stage, to listen, to hear all the voices, try to absorb all the ideas and to start the negotiation process.
00:55 I think the Petersburg Forum is one of the very important, I think it's a very good chance to again, to hear each other.
01:05 And for the COP29 team, it is also a good opportunity, it was a good opportunity to deliver messages, some messages from our side.
01:15 What can we expect from COP29 in Baku?
01:19 The main agenda is climate finance. We will try to do our best to at least to invite all the countries to have efficient dialogues.
01:35 Because sometimes the approaches are contradictionally different, we need to make it close. We need to invite people to different platforms to discuss the possibilities, the opportunities.
01:51 How much of what will be discussed at COP will be actually actionable?
01:55 Another one very important issue is our call to fulfill the promises made before. Because already 28 COPs and a lot of decisions made, a lot of initiatives adopted, and a lot of countries joined different initiatives.
02:13 Again, let's see how we perform these promises. It's also important if we will convert the promises to action.
02:25 You know, if we take Azerbaijan for example, we turn our economy to green growth. We adopt several governmental programs and green energy corridors, considering to deliver already alternative energy to different, our neighbors, also to European Union countries.
02:45 To organize a good cooperation with fossil producer countries, to them to demonstrate our responsibilities for all these climate initiatives.
02:59 You mentioned that part of the job is to make sure that you take on what was discussed in the UAE at the last COP in Dubai.
03:10 One of the big topics was fossil fuels and transitioning away from that. What are your thoughts on this?
03:16 It is consensus made. I think the process, it is not easy process. I think the world is also not ready to turn completely to green, to alternative energy.
03:28 We need time, I think, and time is very important to organize this very frank and very honest discussions and possible agreements between the countries regarding such process.
03:47 But I also am very careful because it is very, I think, complicated issue.
03:54 Mr. Babayev, thank you so much for your time today. A pleasure to talk to you.
03:58 Thank you too. Thank you very much.