Oil and gas are gift of God, Azerbaijan leader tells climate conference

Oil and gas are the “gift of God”, the president of Azerbaijan has told an international climate summit being held in his country.

As Sir Keir Starmer prepares to take centre stage at Cop29 on Tuesday, Ilham Aliyev told delegates that “countries should not be blamed for having [oil and gas] and should not be blamed for bringing the resources to the market, because the market needs them”.

The comments may be seen as a blow to the credibility of the talks, which have been shunned by several world leaders.

Starmer, who is attending the summit in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, said he would use the opportunity to help Britain “win the race” on green investment.

The oil-rich Caucasian state was a controversial choice to host