A Public Debate themed “Hybrid Threats Against COP29” held in the Milli Majlis
The temporary Commission of the Milli Majlis against Foreign Interference and Hybrid Threats held a public debate themed “Hybrid Threats Against COP29” on October 21st. The attendants included Members of the Milli Majlis, representatives of the leading think-tanks, civil society representatives, experts and Rustam Mahmudov, the Deputy Head of the Parliamentary Staff.
The Chair of the Commission Ramid Namazov in his opening remarks noted that the event had been organised according to the Speaker’s (of the Milli Majlis) directive.
He remarked that following our historic victory in the 44-day Patriotic War and the complete restoration of our sovereignty last year under the leadership of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, certain foreign circles that cannot accept the outcomes of these developments began to reconsider their insidious plans against our state. The Chair of the Commission emphasized that the Milli Majlis had consistently supported the policies implemented by President Ilham Aliyev for the development and security of our country and would continue to do so. At the same time, the Milli Majlis demonstrates determination in combating threats against the Azerbaijani people, the integrity of our state and laws, our national and moral values, international reputation, and other critical areas within its authority.
It was pointed out that our country will host the 29th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), along with the 19th Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol and the 6th Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, all in November this year. There has been a noticeable increase in the smear and media campaigns levelled at Azerbaijan as the time of one of the largest and most significant international conferences held globally approaches.
The primary aim of today’s public discussion is to inform our citizens about the current processes as well as the origins and forms of the vile campaigns directed against our state and the individuals behind it. It is intended to foster an exchange of ideas regarding this issue amongst MPs, civil society representatives and experts.
Ramid Namazov also said that the two primary types of hybrid threats are actively employed against Azerbaijan concerning COP29. The first type involves disinformation, which encompasses media and smear campaigns as well as dissemination of fake news. The second type, known as ‘Lawfare’, involves the use of legal tools as weapons. This category includes anti-Azerbaijani resolutions passed in various parliaments, unfounded international court claims, and sanctions.
Immediately after nearly 200 countries unanimously awarded Azerbaijan the right to host COP29, certain forces launched a campaign against us in the international media citing various pretexts. Baseless accusations were made; for instance, the question was raised as to ‘Why should an oil country host a UN climate conference?’. They also claimed ‘the absence of women in the COP29 Organizing Committee’, ‘human rights’ and ‘the peace agreement with Armenia’.
The Chair of the Commission said that according to the UN Charter in international relations the UN Member States must refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations. He pointed out that the underhanded campaigns led by Armenia and certain countries supporting it run contrary to international law. He went further to note that those states formed various NGOs, provided financial and political support to those and then used them to assault other states on various topics, issue statements, and began threatening with sanctions and using other means to undermine their international reputation.
Ramid Namazov pointed out that recently, 60 lawmakers of the U.S. Congress urged the Secretary of State to exert pressure on Azerbaijan. He stressed that the responses from the Azerbaijani President had been strong and well-argued. Additionally, he said that both the Azerbaijani public and the Milli Majlis had voiced their positions regarding that provocation. Mr. Namazov also raised the recent anti-Azerbaijan resolutions passed by the Dutch Parliament in support of the actions of the U.S. Congress. As he pointed out, deliberations within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) concerning human rights, the rule of law, and democracy in Azerbaijan are devoid of legitimate grounds. He brought up the formation of various coalitions aimed at undermining Azerbaijan, highlighting that social media platforms have been exploited to circulate distorted information and biased narratives, creating confusion amongst the public and imposing unjustified demands.
The National Endowment for Democracy, which is fully funded by the U.S. Congress, together with organisations such as Freedom House, Human Rights Watch, the World Organisation Against Torture, Amnesty International and the International Human Rights Cooperation Organisation, are spreading biased and inaccurate information about Azerbaijan. Their aim is to achieve strategic objectives by subtly influencing the minds of ordinary people through hybrid threats against our country. It was noted that the goal of all these reprehensible actions is to stoke anti-Azerbaijani sentiment at a time when only a few days remain until COP29, exerting pressure on us by tarnishing the country’s name.
Another dimension of the campaign targeting Azerbaijan is being spearheaded by Armenia, Armenian lobby organisations and wealthy Armenian businesspeople. Although Armenia has formally consented to the hosting of the COP29 event in Azerbaijan, it has consistently engaged in counterpropaganda against our country behind the scenes across all platforms. They raise issues unrelated to the climate conference, and in so doing they are fanning artificial tensions, thus attempting to damage Azerbaijan's international standing. Currently, a new thesis has emerged which claims that Azerbaijan intends to use COP29 as a smokescreen to legitimise future escalations against Armenia.
Next, the speaker emphasised that the hosting of large-scale international events places a significant responsibility on our country. Azerbaijan, which has successfully hosted many international events to date, will also ensure that the COP29 international conference is a success despite all the aforementioned malicious intents, marking yet another milestone for our people.
The MPs Gulshan Pashayeva, Sevil Mikayilova, Parvana Valiyeva, Mubariz Gurbanli, Elman Nasirov, Nurlan Hasanov and Kamran Bayramov as well as Deputy Executive Director of the Media Development Agency Natig Mammadli, Department Head of the Centre for the Analysis of International Relations Javid Valiyev, and a Sector Head of the Social Research Centre Ilyas Huseynov then took the floor. They underscored the relevance of the topic at hand. They talked about the importance of taking significant steps to combat foreign interference and certain foreign countries’ noticeably biased stances regarding our country.
It was said that the hybrid threats against our country including the dissemination of hostile information, cyberattacks and smear campaigns on social networks are of great security importance. They underlined the need for practical steps to counter these negative influences, especially with the increasing threats related to COP29. The discussion focused on the necessity of improving legislation, informing the public about the efforts related to the organisation of COP29, bolstering the activity of social media participants regarding this matter and raising the awareness amongst citizens so they would remain vigilant against malicious intentions. Additionally, the significance of enlightenment and advocacy among the population was highlighted.
The participating Department Head from the UNEC Research Fund Ellada Aliyeva, Chair of the Governing Board of the Cybersecurity Organisations’ Association of Azerbaijan Elvin Balajanov, Chair of the ‘Citizen’ Research and Development Public Association Gunel Safarova, Amin Mammadov, Chair of the Public Council under the aegis of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and Member of the Governing Board of the Forum of National NGOs of Azerbaijan Zaur Ibrahimli stressed in their respective addresses the consistent relevance of ideological security matters and the necessity of manifesting solidarity in that realm. The speakers shared their ideas as to preventing unwarranted threats and baseless disinformation directed at our country, discussing the implementation of comprehensive measures in this area and voicing their proposals.
As the event drew to a close, the Chair of the Commission against Foreign Interference and Hybrid Threats, Ramid Namazov expressed confidence that constructive discussions had taken place around the topic and would yield results. He also assured that COP29, hosted by our country, would mark another success for Azerbaijan.
The Press and Public Relations Department
The Milli Majlis
