Green energy next main focus of Türkiye-Azerbaijan co-op: Minister
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev meet on the sidelines of the U.N. Climate Change Conference COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 12, 2024. (IHA Photo)


Azerbaijan’s Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov on Tuesday said green energy would form the next frontier in the deepening energy partnership between Ankara and Baku.

Shahbazov’s remarks came on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Azerbaijan – COP29 – where he underscored what he described as the pivotal role of renewable energy in the two nations’ collaborative agenda.

"Green energy is the next step in our cooperation with Türkiye, and no other country shares the same level of collaboration with us in this field," Shahbazov told an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA).

The two countries have close linguistic, cultural and historic links and Azerbaijan is one of the top natural gas providers for Türkiye.

In Baku, negotiators are working on a new amount for aid to help developing nations transition to clean energy, adapt to climate change and deal with weather disasters.

Rich nations are being urged to significantly raise their pledge of $100 billion a year in financing for poorer countries to take action against climate change. However, efforts to finalize the deal in Baku are hampered by disputes over how much the deal should entail, who should pay it, and what types of financing should be included.

Shahbazov highlighted Azerbaijan’s new initiatives presented at COP29, which include the "Green Energy Commitment," "Global Energy Storage and Grid Pledge," and the "COP29 Hydrogen Declaration." These efforts, he noted, align closely with the priorities Türkiye and Azerbaijan share in tackling climate change.

Shahbazov said Türkiye has been a vital supporter of these initiatives and stressed the importance of strengthening energy storage capacity, enhancing electricity grid infrastructure, and advancing hydrogen standards and certification.

He emphasized that Azerbaijan’s recommendations "will serve as key tools to achieve the goals set a year ago in Dubai, including tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency."

"Significant progress has already been made in this direction, and the process will continue."