France will not be represented at the COP29 opening in Baku, Azerbaijan, with Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher confirming no French leaders will attend. This marks a significant departure from France’s involvement since the Paris Agreement. Some lawmakers are advocating for a boycott due to concerns over Azerbaijan’s human rights record and ongoing conflicts with Armenia. France plans to avoid endorsing Azerbaijan’s government while attending the conference later in November, condemning Azerbaijani interference in Armenian affairs.
Why is it that neither the President of France nor any representatives from the French government will attend the COP29 opening in Baku, Azerbaijan, on November 11? Minister for Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, stated during a Senate session on Thursday that ‘no French leader will participate in the high-level segment’ of the climate conference. She emphasized that ‘this marks the first time since the Paris Agreement’ was established in 2015.
This decision sends a powerful message from the French government, although some lawmakers advocated for a complete boycott of COP29. During the Senate session, Green senator Yannick Jadot urged the government to ‘boycott COP29 for the climate, for the Armenians, and for human rights’, highlighting the ongoing border conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Agnès Pannier-Runacher responded, ‘I would have preferred this COP to take place in a different location. I would have preferred it not to be in Baku, especially since it was Baku that won the vote against Armenia to host the next climate conference.’
France Stays Clear of “Empty Chair” Politics
However, she reassured that France will not ‘play the politics of the empty chair’. She explained, ‘That would only benefit our opponents, leaving space for those who might advocate for agreements detrimental to the climate, fossil fuels, and Europe.’ She plans to attend the conference from November 20 to 24.
Agnès Pannier-Runacher elaborated, ‘Our relations with Azerbaijan are complex, to say the least. There will be no events involving French officials that highlight any aspect of Azerbaijani policy.’ She also noted, ‘There will be no interactions with Azerbaijani authorities unless they pertain directly to COP.’
The holding of this conference must not serve to endorse the autocratic, polluting, and corrupt regime of Azerbaijan
The holding of this conference must not serve to endorse the autocratic, polluting, and corrupt regime of Azerbaijan
Signatories of an article published in Le Figaro
France Condemns Azerbaijani Interference
France has numerous reasons to criticize Azerbaijan, particularly for its interference in Armenian affairs. The signatories of the article demanded ‘the immediate and unconditional release of Armenian hostages, the right for 120,000 refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh to return securely, and the respect for Armenia’s territorial integrity, of which Azerbaijan currently occupies over 200 km².’
Moreover, in recent months, Paris has accused Baku of attempting to meddle in its domestic matters, especially during the crisis in New Caledonia, which has been troubled by a violent uprising since May. In early September, France advised its citizens, including dual nationals, against traveling to Azerbaijan ‘unless for imperative reasons’, citing potential risks of ‘arrest, arbitrary detention, and unfair trial.’ Shortly thereafter, a French citizen received a three-year prison sentence for graffiti on a subway car, which France condemned as ‘arbitrary and openly discriminatory treatment.’