On August 29, 2025, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Chief Negotiator for COP29, Yalchin Rafiyev, visited Ankara at the invitation of Fatma Varank, Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Türkiye, APA reports.
As part of the visit, Y. Rafiyev delivered a speech at the opening of a seminar held in Ankara within the framework of the project “Support for the Preparation of Türkiye’s Biennial Transparency Report (BTR1) and Ninth National Communication and Second Biennial Transparency Report (NC9/BTR2)” under the Paris Agreement.
In his speech, he emphasized the historic outcomes achieved at COP29 and highlighted the important role of Azerbaijan’s presidency in the successful launch of the Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) mechanism, which countries are required to submit under the Paris Agreement. It was specifically noted that 105 countries have already submitted these reports, with Azerbaijan and Türkiye being among the first to do so. He also stated that Azerbaijan’s support for climate transparency will not be limited to COP29. Baku Transparency Platform (BTP) declared within the framework of the COP Presidency’s Action Agenda, will continue to support the preparation of reports and technical summaries by countries in collaboration with international partners.
During the visit, Y. Rafiyev also held bilateral meetings with Fatma Varank, Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Türkiye; Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ayşe Berris Ekinci and Nuh Yılmaz; as well as the President of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), Abdullah Eren.
The meetings included discussions on issues on the climate agenda, Türkiye's measures to combat climate change, preparations for COP30, shared priorities between the two countries, economic cooperation, joint activities within international organizations, and regional projects. It was particularly noted that joint actions within the UN and other organizations were met with satisfaction, and an exchange of views was held on appropriate steps to be taken in this direction in the future. Cooperation matters between TIKA and the Azerbaijan International Development Agency were also reviewed.
