Countries that rely on oil exports may have a chance to host global discussions about climate change.

Surprisingly, Azerbaijan, a country with abundant oil resources, received a positive development on Thursday in its efforts to host COP29 next year. This came when Armenia, a country that has been in conflict with Azerbaijan for many years, decided to withdraw its own bid to host the talks and instead supported Azerbaijan’s candidacy.

The extraordinary turn of events could add to a pattern of oil- and gas-producing nations running the annual talks on how to respond to the Earth’s warming, whose major cause is the burning of fossil fuels. The talks occurring this week are based in the United Arab Emirates, one of the world’s largest oil producers, a year after negotiations in Egypt led to a final text favorable to continued gas production.

Brazil is expected to be the host of COP30 in 2025, as it possesses the second-largest oil reserves in South America.

Azerbaijan and Armenia, who have been engaged in a territorial dispute since the fall of the Soviet Union, released a joint statement on Thursday announcing that Armenia will back Azerbaijan’s attempt to host the climate negotiations.

The announcement also made commitments to swap prisoners of war between the two countries involved in the recent conflict.

The agreement may resolve a stalemate in diplomatic relations that could have disrupted the global climate discussions, as countries were unable to come to a decision on the location for COP29.

The yearly convention was planned to take place in Eastern Europe in the upcoming year. However, Russia objected to the submissions of all potential European Union candidates because the union has supported Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. In the meantime, Azerbaijan and Armenia had promised to reject each other’s suggestions due to their long-standing conflicts.

The statement did not explicitly mention Russia, but expressed hope that other Eastern European nations will also support Azerbaijan’s bid to host.

The statement stated that Armenia and Azerbaijan will have ongoing talks to implement further measures to build trust, which will have a positive effect on the South Caucasus region. They also ask for support from the international community in their efforts.

Reuters initially reported that Moldova and Serbia are also interested in assuming the influential COP presidency next year, citing a separate report. The State Department and U.S. embassies in Russia, Moldova, and Serbia did not immediately provide a response when requested for comment.

2019 emissions per capita were 24 metric tons

The delayed competition for COP29 occurs during the halfway mark of this year’s discussions in the United Arab Emirates, where the per capita emissions in 2019 were 24 metric tons.

hesitation to adopt suggestions to gradually eliminate the use of non-renewable energy sources

The summit has been greatly hindered by this particular issue.

This could potentially predict future conflicts regarding energy. The economy of Azerbaijan, situated between Iran and Russia, heavily depends on fossil fuels for approximately 90% of its exports. Moldova and Serbia primarily rely on Moscow for their oil and gas imports.

Become a member of the alliance of oil-producing countries known as OPEC+.
The summit will showcase the…

The next set of commitments from countries regarding climate change.

Necessary according to the Paris Agreement.