In a meeting on Monday, Mammadov and Fawzi Hariri, Kurdistan Region Presidency’s chief of staff, discussed regional developments and strengthening cooperation and bilateral relations with Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
Mammadov extended a formal invitation from his country’s presidency to Barzani to participate in the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that will take place in Baku from November 11 to 22.
President Barzani met with the Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on his visit to Baku in July 2023, when the two leaders addressed developments in the establishment of the Azerbaijani consulate in Erbil, as well as launching Baku-Erbil and Baku-Baghdad direct flights.
In 2023, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, President Barzani, and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani all attended the COP28 in Dubai, leading separate delegations. President Barzani encouraged global efforts to combat climate change.
Iraq is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, including water and food insecurity, according to the UN. It is facing a severe water shortage because of reduced precipitation, higher temperatures, and waste and mismanagement.
The UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its provisional State of the Global Climate report saying 2023 had “shattered” climate records and warned of the accompanying “trail of devastation and despair” that would be left behind.
In December 2022, the World Bank estimated that Iraq needs around $233 billion worth of investments by 2040 to respond to the effects of climate change.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified Nasir Mammadov as the charge d'affaires of Azerbaijan.
