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.

He said: “As a president of Cop29 of course, we will be a strong advocate for green transition, and we are doing it. But at the same time, we must be realistic.

“Countries should not be blamed for having [oil and gas resources], and should not be blamed for bringing these resources to the market, because the market needs them. The people need them.

“Quote me that I said that this is a gift of God, and I want to repeat it today here at this audience,” he said, having made a similar statement in April.