France, Argentina refuse to participate in COP29

Paris, Nov 14 (FN Agency) French Minister of Ecological Transition and Energy Agnes Pannier-Runacher has refused to participate in the COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan due to tensions in relations between the two countries. Earlier on Wednesday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that the overseas territories of France and the Netherlands “face very serious problems” such as “neocolonialism and climate change.” “The statements by President Aliyev on the occasion of the opening of COP29 in Baku against France and Europe are unacceptable. I will not go to Baku next week,” Pannier-Runacher said during a meeting in the National Assembly on Wednesday.

At the same time, an Argentine undersecretary for the environment, Ana Lamas, told The Guardian newspaper that Buenos Aires withdrew its delegation from Baku after three days since the start of the summit. “It’s true. We have instructions from the ministry of foreign affairs to no longer participate. That’s all I can tell you,” Lamas was quoted as saying by the newspaper. COP29 is taking place in Baku from November 11-22. It is being attended by some 80 heads of state and government, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Polish President Andrzej Duda and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Representatives of international organizations have also arrived at the conference, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, European Council President Charles Michel, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi.