Azerbaijan is set to host the COP29 climate change summit next year after receiving backing from other Eastern European nations during the ongoing COP28 summit in Dubai, Reuters reports.
Azerbaijan, a major oil and gas producer and a member of OPEC+, has faced criticism for its arrest of anti-corruption researcher Gubad Ibadoghlu, who has criticized the country’s oil and gas industry.
The decision, resolving months of geopolitical deadlock over the summit’s location, had been delayed due to Russia’s vow to veto any bid by a European Union country. Azerbaijan’s bid still needs approval from the nearly 200 countries present at COP28, delegates expect the vote to be a formality.
