Ceremony on inauguration of new building of Azerbaijan`s embassy in UK dedicated to COP29

A solemn ceremony on the occasion of the opening of the new administrative building of the embassy of Azerbaijan in the United Kingdom was held on July 25.

The event, which highlighted COP29, featured the history and future prospects of the relations between the two countries.

The event, held with the participation of Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan's Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources and COP29 President-Designate, brought together Ed Miliband, the UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero; Kerry McCarthy, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Alistair Harrison, the Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps in the UK; Alok Sharma, the COP26 President and Member of the House of Lords; Baroness Nicholson, the UK Prime Minister's former trade envoy to Azerbaijan; parliamentarians Baroness Uddin, Bob Blackman and Lord McNicol; Ivan Romero-Martinez, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Honduras to the UK; representatives of the diplomatic corps; the ambassadors of Brazil and the UAE to London, part of the COP Presidencies “Troika”; senior representatives of The City of London; Gordon Birrell, bp’s Executive Vice President for Production and Operations; and other individuals.

Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Elin Suleymanov emphasized the importance of dedicating the first official event at the new building of the country’s embassy in the UK to COP29. He noted that Azerbaijan is fully focused on climate action in preparation for hosting COP29 this November and that the country is doing everything it can to advance climate goals of vital importance for the entire world. The diplomat expressed his gratitude to the British side for their unwavering support for Azerbaijan from the very beginning of this responsible work.

Elin Suleymanov also expressed his gratitude to the British side for the hospitality shown by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev during the recent summit of the European Political Community held in Oxford, as well as for the sincere meeting between UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy and Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov. The ambassador stated that his country highly values the UK’s efforts to contribute to the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

COP29 President-Designate Mukhtar Babayev recalled that a few days ago, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made a working visit to the UK to attend the European Political Community summit. He emphasized that the event dedicated to COP29 held at the new building of Azerbaijan’s embassy in the UK also highlighted the bilateral friendly relations. Noting that London plays a crucial central role in climate action, Mukhtar Babayev highlighted his meetings and events on the sidelines the London Climate Action Week held at the end of June. Describing the UK, which hosted COP26, as an important partner, Babayev thanked his British colleagues for their support in preparations for COP29. COP29 President-Designate Babayev stated that he would hold official meetings with the private sector and financial institutions during his current visit to London to discuss the Sustainable Markets Initiative. He also spoke about the efforts Azerbaijan has undertaken and the initiatives put forward in preparation for this prestigious event.

Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, said that he was honored to participate in the first official event held at the new building of the embassy of Azerbaijan in the UK. He emphasized the importance of COP events, which bring countries together to combat climate change and promote the world's green development. Ed Miliband pointed out that the UK is ready to provide all kinds of support to Azerbaijan and closely partners with it to ensure the successful execution of COP29 and the achievement of the expected outcomes.

At the event, the original copy of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev’s letter to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer inviting him to COP29 was presented to Ed Miliband.

The event continued with a reception.

For the first time in the history of Azerbaijan-UK relations, a senior government official holding the highest-ranking ministerial position in the British Cabinet—a Secretary of State—participated in the event.