Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister and COP29 Chief Negotiator Visits Mexico

Md Kamal Miah

On 23 May 2025, Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan and COP29 Chief Negotiator, Yalchin Rafiyev, led a delegation on a working visit to Mexico.

During the trip, Rafiyev held meetings with Enrique Javier Ochoa Martinez, Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights at Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Camila Zepeda, Mexico’s Lead Climate Negotiator; and members of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI), one of the country’s leading think tanks.

In talks with Undersecretary Ochoa Martinez, both sides welcomed the close cooperation between Azerbaijan and Mexico within international organisations and multilateral forums. Rafiyev shared updates on Azerbaijan’s foreign policy priorities, progress in normalising relations with Armenia, and upcoming international events that Azerbaijan will host under various initiatives. The two also discussed joint efforts to combat climate change and exchanged views on Azerbaijan’s COP29 Presidency. Ochoa Martinez commended Azerbaijan’s constructive role in advancing the COP29 process and congratulated the country on the successful results achieved so far.

In a separate meeting with Mexico’s Lead Climate Negotiator, the focus was on Azerbaijan’s leadership at COP29, highlighting the inclusivity and progress of the negotiations. Both sides stressed the importance of sustaining momentum in implementing the outcomes of COP29.

At COMEXI, discussions addressed Azerbaijan’s evolving regional role and its balanced foreign policy in light of new realities in the South Caucasus following the 2020 Patriotic War. The Azerbaijani delegation also outlined the country’s contributions to multilateral initiatives and international organisations. Azerbaijan’s Presidency of COP29 and the depth of its negotiations were widely acknowledged and appreciated.