**Pakistan and Azerbaijan Hold Bilateral Talks to Strengthen Global Climate Cooperation**
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Dr. Musadik Malik, met with senior Azerbaijani officials on the sidelines of the COP Heads of Delegation Retreat in Shamakhi to discuss avenues for closer collaboration and stronger global action on climate change.
In meetings with H.E. Mukhtar Babayev, President of COP-29 and Special Envoy on Environment to the President of Azerbaijan, as well as H.E. Mr. Yalchin Rafiyev, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister and COP-29 Lead Negotiator, both sides highlighted the urgent need for the international community to accelerate and coordinate efforts to build resilience, advance mitigation measures, and promote sustainable development in response to escalating climate threats.
Dr. Malik emphasized that developing countries, particularly in the Global South, continue to bear a disproportionate share of climate-related disasters, even as the Global North remains the primary source of historic and ongoing greenhouse gas emissions. He drew attention to Pakistan’s heightened vulnerability, given its proximity to two of the world’s largest carbon emitters, and stressed that national borders offer little protection from the cross-border nature of environmental degradation, pollution, and extreme weather.
The Pakistani minister called for robust and meaningful climate action, urging developed nations to honor their commitments to climate finance and demonstrate leadership in reducing emissions. He favored a just and equitable approach to tackling global environmental challenges.
The meetings also identified new opportunities for collaboration between Pakistan and Azerbaijan, particularly in renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, adaptation strategies, and disaster risk reduction. The two countries expressed a shared interest in advancing green cooperation that supports their respective national priorities and contributes to global progress.
Concluding the discussions, Dr. Malik reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to multilateral climate governance and expressed hope that the upcoming COP conference will deliver substantial progress on inclusive, science-based, and just climate action worldwide.
