Greta Thunberg in Yerevan accuses world of enabling Baku to 'greenwash its crimes'
Thunberg accuses Baku of ‘greenwashing’ crimes
“It is sad that the world remains silent and allows Azerbaijan to ‘greenwash’ its crimes by hosting a conference like COP 29. Azerbaijan clearly aims to expand its oil and gas extraction, and many countries that import these resources choose to turn a blind eye,” said Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg in Yerevan.
Speaking at a conference entitled The Impact of Azerbaijan’s Aggression on Human Rights and Environmental Protection, she accused Azerbaijan of “ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh,” “oppressing its own people,” and intending to “expand oil and gas extraction.”
In her speech, she emphasized the plight of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, saying she feels “privileged” because she does not have to “wake up every morning and fight for her right and the right of her people to exist, as Karabakh Armenians do.” Thunberg stated that this sense of privilege gives her a “moral responsibility to speak out about their issues.”
The activist also explained why she considers it equally important to address human rights and climate change. According to her, “one cannot talk about one type of human rights violation while ignoring others.”
Returning to the topic of COP29 in Azerbaijan, she highlighted the oppression faced by civil activists in the country. Thunberg argued that “it is time to stop pretending progress on climate change can be achieved” in light of Azerbaijan hosting COP29.
“We cannot continue fighting for the future when people have lost their present and are deprived of basic human rights,” she said.
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- “Baku is using COP29 as a PR shield.” Article by former Armenian FM in Newsweek
Thunberg joins protests in Tbilisi
Greta Thunberg boycotted COP 29. Instead of traveling to Baku, she went to Georgia, where she held protests addressing climate change, human rights violations in Azerbaijan, and the exodus of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh.
Baku responded by stating that human rights in Azerbaijan are fully protected and that “it is unacceptable to make any statements about the past Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict without proper understanding of the issues.”
In Yerevan, Thunberg also reiterated that “Baku is undoubtedly responsible for ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.”
“Holding COP29 is act of hypocrisy”
According to Thunberg, Baku aims to position itself as an environmental protector while simultaneously planning to expand the extraction and export of fossil fuels.
Thunberg argued that the principles of climate justice she advocates are incompatible with Azerbaijan’s agenda:
“They contradict the reality in Azerbaijan. It is an extremely repressive state, a petrostate planning to increase fossil fuel extraction, and a country that has carried out ethnic cleansing. It is appalling to witness such duplicity and hypocrisy. The fact that COP 29 is being held in Azerbaijan is the ultimate display of hypocrisy.”
“Baku commits crimes, yet gains platform to legitimize them”
In her speech, Thunberg repeatedly returned to the topic of protecting the rights of Karabakh Armenians:
“As a result of Azerbaijan’s military aggression, they have faced great hardships—from forced displacement to physical and psychological violence. None of this can be justified. It is simply unacceptable for the world to allow this, while Azerbaijan tries to deceive people and greenwash its image.”
The climate activist called it unacceptable that Azerbaijan not only evades accountability but has also gained a platform through COP 29 to “legitimize gross human rights violations.” She expressed outrage that the international community “remains silent and provides Azerbaijan with this opportunity.”
“We must stop pretending and ignoring the fact that a climate conference is being held in a country where repressive approaches dominate, where the government oppresses its own people. Human rights defenders and eco-activists in this country say they live as though in prison, that the state does not protect their rights. Civil society is under constant pressure there, and the voices of those advocating for change are consistently silenced,” she stated.
Thunberg accuses Baku of ‘greenwashing’ crimes
