European Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra responded to Azerbaijani President Ilham Alijev’s accusations of neo-colonialism directed at the Netherlands and France during the COP29 climate summit in Baku. Hoekstra deemed the president’s remarks ‘unfortunate’ and unhelpful, advocating for the importance of addressing climate change rather than bilateral disputes. While the French climate minister decided not to attend the summit following Alijev’s statements, Hoekstra confirmed his intention to return to Azerbaijan for further discussions.