By William James and Kate Abnett BAKU (Reuters) -Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev used a keynote speech at the COP29 climate summit to lash out at Western critics of his country's oil and gas industry,

It’s been a day of stark contrasts at the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan where 80 world leaders had gathered. Sir Keir Starmer set a more ambitious climate goal for the UK by promising to slash its greenhouse emissions to the tune of 81% against 1990 levels by the year 2035.

Azerbaijan's president said countries should not be blamed for having oil, gas and other natural resources or bringing them to the market. The president of COP29’s host country has told the UN climate conference that oil and gas are a "gift of god".

Fossil fuels are a gift from God and giving them up is not realistic, the host of the Cop29 climate summit has said. Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, defended his country’s oil and gas industry during opening remarks at the conference in the country’s capital Baku on Tuesday.

Oil and gas are 'gift from God', Azerbaijan president tells Cop29 climate summit - ‘Countries should not be blamed for bringing these resources to the market, because the market needs them’ - Ilham Al