Emomali Rahmon holds a number of bilateral meetings in Baku on the margins of COP29

16:23, todayAuthor: Asia-Plus

On Tuesday November 12, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, attending the 29th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Baku, has held several bilateral meetings with representatives of international organizations, according to the Tajik president’s official website. 

The COP29 conference is reportedly attended by leaders of 80 countries, the UN Secretary-General, heads of governments, and delegations from numerous influential international organizations.

President Rahmon notably met with Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar University, on the sidelines of COP29.

Their discussion focused on education, tolerance, and expanding research cooperation between Tajikistan and Egypt.  “Emomali Rahmon emphasized the importance of Al-Azhar’s contribution to educating thousands of specialists and promoting peaceful ideas. He also highlighted the relevance of uniting the Muslim Ummah around values of virtue and humanity,” the press service stated.

Currently, more than 200 Tajikistani citizens study at various faculties of Al-Azhar, forming the basis for a discussion on regulating this process in accordance with the laws of both countries.

President Rahmon also proposed increasing the participation of Tajikistan’s religious scholars and practitioners in Al-Azhar’s educational courses to facilitate experience exchange and deepen studies in tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

Tajik leader also held talks with Asian Development Bank (ADB) President in Baku today. 

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The meeting reportedly covered further economic cooperation and the role of banks in supporting key projects in Tajikistan in areas such as energy, transportation, agriculture, and education.  

“The parties noted the success of their 26-year partnership and discussed possible ways to reduce the impact of external factors on the country’s economy, enhance economic resilience, and continue reforms,” the Tajik president’s press service says.

A key point of discussion was continuing economic reforms and attracting grant funds from development partners, as well as support for green technologies, the digitization of the economy, and the development of Tajikistan’s financial market.

COP29 is one of the most important platforms for global climate policy discussions. Participating countries will discuss topics such as mitigating the impacts of climate change and accelerating the energy transition.  COP29 is positioned as a “finance COP” because a new global financing goal will be set for climate action measures.

As a leader from a country at the forefront of promoting global water and climate issues, President Rahmon will be among the first to speak at the opening of the climate summit in Baku.