According to internal documents reviewed by Reuters, Russia plans to prevent European Union members from hosting the UN international climate discussions in 2019. This might be a blow to EU member Bulgaria’s battle with Azerbaijan and Armenia to host the important meeting.
Moscow’s action demonstrates how geopolitical conflicts have complicated global efforts to address climate change since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. It also risks postponing a definitive decision on the host of COP29, which might shorten the event’s preparatory period.
Bulgaria and non-EU country Armenia has applied to host the summit, a role that may provide worldwide prestige and the opportunity to promote local climate change initiatives – but also comes with fees, intensive media attention, and enormous logistical obligations.
Azerbaijan added its name to the running this week.
“Azerbaijan is ready to be the host country for such an important event,” Umayra Taghiyeva, Azerbaijan’s deputy minister of ecology and natural resources, told Reuters on Wednesday in the country’s first public confirmation of its long-speculated bid.
Rights to host the gatherings rotate between the United Nations’ five global regions, with Eastern Europe hosting in 2024. The 23 countries in that region must select their host candidate unanimously. If Russia vetoed all EU countries, then Armenia or Azerbaijan could still be in the running.
The EU-member Czech Republic is no longer interested in hosting but is considering bidding to host a preparatory “pre-COP” event if Bulgaria takes the main summit, a Czech official said on Wednesday.
Russia’s delegation to the UN climate body (the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC) sent an email to other Eastern European country representatives in April in which it said it would not support an EU host.
In the email, which has not been previously reported, Russia’s delegation said EU countries had taken a “politicized” approach to deciding the host country which had resulted in Russian-endorsed candidates being blocked.
“It is reasonable to believe that EU countries, driven by politics from Brussels, do not have the capacity to serve as honest and effective brokers of global climate negotiations under the UNFCCC,” it said.
Russia’s special presidential representative on climate, Ruslan Edelgeriev, declined to confirm if Russia would oppose Bulgaria’s candidacy.
“Bulgaria is not the only candidate to host COP29 in 2024. The issue will be decided in strict accordance with the procedures provided by Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC,” Edelgeriev said in written responses to questions.
The 27-country EU, alongside Western allies including Britain and the United States, has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and slapped sanctions on Moscow over the war.
The Eastern European country group is discussing the issue at a UN meeting this week in Bonn, Germany. All countries would usually then confirm the group’s decision at this year’s COP28 summit, which begins in November.
If the group cannot agree, a fallback option could be to host the event at the UN climate change body’s permanent offices in Bonn – although that would require backing from the German government.
Three-way race
During last year’s UN climate conference, Bulgaria’s president, Rumen Radev, indicated the country would be willing to host the event, and Bulgaria was pressing ahead with its bid in late May with support from other EU countries.
This week, Bulgaria formed a new government, however, which has yet to confirm it still wants to host. Bulgaria’s environment ministry did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Azerbaijan and Armenia – neighbouring countries that are in a decades-long dispute over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh – have both confirmed they are also in the running.
“At the moment, we have not been blocked by any country from the Eastern European region,” Emin Garabaghli, head of the international cooperation division in Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Ecology, told Reuters.
The annual UN climate summits draw tens of thousands of delegates from nearly 200 countries, as well as companies, investors and industry lobbyists.
The United Arab Emirates will host this year’s COP28 conference on behalf of the Asia Pacific group.
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