The Guardian and the BBC have exposed the CEO of Azerbaijan’s COP29 climate change conference, Elnur Soltanov, for using his role to facilitate fossil fuel deals at the summit. Secret recordings revealed Soltanov, who is also Azerbaijan’s deputy energy minister and a board member of SOCAR, engaging with a man posing as a potential investor to discuss “investment opportunities” in the state oil and gas company. “We have a lot of gas fields that are to be developed,” Soltanov stated. The recordings were part of an undercover operation by the campaign group Global Witness, which posed as a fictitious energy firm seeking deals in exchange for sponsoring COP29.
A former head of the UN body responsible for climate talks described Soltanov’s actions as “completely unacceptable” and a “betrayal” of the COP process. His dual roles as a COP29 executive and high-ranking government official have raised significant concerns about the integrity of Azerbaijan’s leadership of the summit. Azerbaijan’s COP29 team has not responded to requests for comment. According to US data, the nation’s economy is heavily reliant on oil and gas, accounting for approximately half of its GDP and over 90% of its exports.
The COP29 summit, set to open in Baku on Monday, is the 29th annual United Nations climate conference, where global leaders convene to discuss limiting and adapting to climate change. However, this is the second year in a row that the BBC has uncovered misconduct by a host government. The findings are based on documents and secret recordings provided by Global Witness.
A representative from Global Witness posed as the head of a fictitious Hong Kong investment firm specializing in energy and approached the COP29 team. The representative expressed interest in sponsoring the summit in exchange for discussing investment opportunities with SOCAR. This led to an online meeting with Soltanov, during which he emphasized the goals of the conference as “solving the climate crisis” and “transitioning away from hydrocarbons in a just, orderly and equitable manner.” However, he noted that Azerbaijan’s “doors are open” to any solutions, including those from the oil and gas industry, and expressed openness to business deals involving fossil fuels.
Initially, Soltanov highlighted SOCAR’s “green transitioning projects” but soon shifted focus to Azerbaijan’s plans to boost gas production and develop new pipeline infrastructure. “There are a lot of joint ventures that could be established,” he remarked, adding, “SOCAR is trading oil and gas all over the world, including in Asia.” Soltanov described natural gas as a “transitional fuel” and stated, “We will have a certain amount of oil and natural gas being produced, perhaps forever.”
This approach contradicts commitments made at prior climate summits to phase out fossil fuels. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been clear that “developing new oil and gas fields is incompatible with limiting warming to 1.5C.”
Soltanov appeared eager to facilitate business connections, stating, “I would be happy to create a contact between your team and their team [SOCAR] so that they can start discussions.” Shortly thereafter, the fictitious investment firm received follow-up communication from SOCAR expressing interest.
Engaging in business deals within the COP framework is seen as a major breach of ethical standards. COP events are meant to focus on reducing global fossil fuel consumption, not promoting it. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) requires strict impartiality and ethical conduct from COP officials. The UN emphasized that “the same rigorous standards” apply to all conference hosts, who are expected to act “without bias, prejudice, favouritism, caprice, self-interest, preference or deference, strictly based on sound, independent and fair judgment.”
The Guardian also reported that COP29 officials introduced the fake investors to senior executives at SOCAR to discuss potential business opportunities. Furthermore, it was revealed that the COP29 team appeared willing to waive climate commitments for the fictitious investment firm if it agreed to sponsor the event. While COP event sponsors are typically required to commit to reducing emissions and creating a “credible net zero transition plan” over the next two years, these conditions were waived during negotiations. Instead, a new clause was added, promising the fake firm “meeting opportunities with key local stakeholders from the energy sector at COP29.”
Christiana Figueres, who oversaw the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rises to well below 2C, expressed shock at Soltanov’s actions. She described such behavior as “contrary and egregious” to the mission of COP and “a treason” to the process.
The BBC further revealed that the COP29 team had discussed a $600,000 sponsorship deal with the fictitious firm in exchange for an introduction to SOCAR and participation in a COP29 event on “sustainable oil and gas investing.” Five full-access summit passes were offered, and initial contractual terms requiring sustainability commitments were later revised or dropped.
These findings come a year after a similar controversy at COP28, when leaked documents showed the UAE planned to use its host status to promote oil and gas deals. COP28 was the first summit where nations reached a consensus on the need to transition away from fossil fuels.
The UNFCCC reiterated its commitment to impartiality and high standards, emphasizing that COP29 must deliver “ambitious and concrete outcomes” given the escalating human and economic costs of the global climate crisis. The Guardian has reached out to the UNFCCC, SOCAR, and Azerbaijan’s COP29 team for further comment, but none have responded.
