The 29th session of the UN’s Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP) kicked off in Baku today, drawing delegations from 198 countries. 

The event began on Monday and will continue until 22 November. 

[Listen to the Caucasus Digest: Greta Thunberg on COP29 in Azerbaijan]

High-ranking officials have begun to stream into the city ahead of the opening ceremony. The BBC has reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and French President Emmannuel Macron were not in attendance.

France and Azerbaijan have had tense relations since the end of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War of 2020 due to France’s support for Armenia.

Ahead of the conference, there was much speculation in the Caucasus about the possibility of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's visit to Baku, but Yerevan has not yet clarified whether it will send representatives to attend the conference or not. 

In response to a question from RFE/RL about Armenia’s attendance, Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Konstanyan said that ‘there is no final decision yet on participation.’ Kostanyan added that the decision depends on a number of issues, including the ongoing discussions on the return of prisoners and a peace agreement.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reiterated during a meeting with his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb that Armenia had been invited, but added that ‘whether this country will participate or not is Armenia's decision’. 

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhdize was also in attendance, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will attend after taking part in an informal summit of the Arab League in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the conference, and the country's delegation to COP29 will be led by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Roads closed, schools and universities on holiday

Independent economist Samir Aliyev posted on his social media account that due to COP29, classes are suspended in the country. ‘Although the official date is 12–22 November, we all know that the last day of school was 7 November. The next class will be on the 25th, not the 22nd.’ 

In Azerbaijan, the school year consists of four semesters,  and the end of the first semester usually falls on 15 November, followed by a short holiday from 16–20 November. However, this school year, the November holiday was extended due to COP29. Azerbaijan’s school schedules have not been changed since the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘During this period, students will not see books and notebooks. It will not have a serious impact on high school students. Because they learn most of their knowledge outside of school, with tutors. On the contrary, for them, going to school is considered a waste of time. They will spend this time with tutors. The school “COP holiday” has the greatest impact on primary school students, especially first grade students’, he said.

There have also been major disruptions to public transport in Baku due to the conference, as well the closure of some bus routes and rescheduling of metro hours. 

In order to reduce traffic congestion, the State Road Police also asked the public to use public transport for those coming from villages and towns around Baku as well as from the regions. 

The police also made a similar appeal to residents of the capital, in order to try and limit the usage of personal cars as much as possible, and to encourage the usage of alternative routes in the city.