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The annual United Nations climate conference hosted this year in Baku, Azerbaijan, is an opportunity to strengthen economic ties between the Eurasian nation and Kenya, the country’s ambassador in Nairobi said in an interview.
Azerbaijan sees Kenya as a leader in climate change policy and green energy and is looking to build economic relations including at the 29th Conference of the Parties climate summit, or COP29, said Sultan Hajiyev, ambassador of Azerbaijan to Kenya.
There will be “a very strong Kenyan contingent” at COP29, which begins next week, Mr Hajiyev said.
“The private sector is one of the target segments … for them, it’s an opportunity to start new or continue [trade] discussions.”.
Azerbaijan, which is located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia and borders countries Russia, Iran, and Turkey, established its embassy in Nairobi last year, with Mr Hajiyev as the first ambassador to Kenya.
“We believe there are excellent dynamics in terms of relations between the countries, including the most senior leadership, and we think that some of the forthcoming contexts and discussions will further strengthen this,” he said.
While trade between the two countries remains nascent, Mr Hajiyev said there has been momentum in developing economic ties, with growing mutual tourism and positive signs from facilitating commercial relations.
“If I bring 20 business people from Azerbaijan and from Kenya, and put them in the same room and leave, when we’re back in a couple of hours, we already see them writing draft communications and agreements,” he said.
While COP29 is the flagship annual event for reaching consensus on climate policy like emissions reductions targets, as one of the highest-profile international conferences it is a key venue for bilateral relations.
On the governmental side, the ambassador said Azerbaijan expects Kenya to take a lead role among African countries in advancing policy discussions in Baku.
Bringing together governmental and non-governmental organisations as well as commercial interests, COP29 could be another venue for private-sector relationship-building between Azerbaijan and Kenya.
“When it comes to more specific issues in the possible areas of economic partnership, one of the things I refer to is green energy,” Hajiyev said.
“We are inviting this kind of interest—and for us as an embassy, it’s one of our objectives to make sure that such expressions of interest are accommodated.”
“Kenya is clearly one of the leading countries on the continent, and even beyond, when it comes to climate change,” Hajiyev said, pointing to President William Ruto’s leadership of an African Union special committee on climate change, and Kenya’s lead climate negotiator’s chairmanship of the African negotiators’ group at COP29.
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