Baku, Azerbaijan - Elnur Soltanov, the chief executive of Azerbaijan's COP29 team and the country's deputy energy minister, was caught discussing deals for oil and gas companies in a secret recording.

In a secret recording obtained and reported on by the BBC, Soltanov is heard discussing fossil fuel "investment opportunities" with someone posing as a potential investor.

"We have a lot of gas fields that are to be developed," Soltanov says in the recording before stating that "there are a lot of joint ventures that could be established."

"Socar is trading oil and gas all over the world, including in Asia... We will have a certain amount of oil and natural gas being produced, perhaps forever."

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While the documents and recordings have not been made public, the BBC did reveal that it had been shown evidence by Global Witness, an NGO that focuses on exposing exploitation, corruption, and human rights abuses.

According to the BBC, Soltanov began the conversation by discussing green energy opportunities before pivoting to fossil fuels and what he refers to as "transitional" energy sources.

COP29 is set to begin on Monday with the goal to limit global emissions and reduce the threat of climate change. To do so, it is seen as necessary for governments to reduce investment in fossil fuels – not increase investment.

Next week's conference already finds itself in murky waters after Donald Trump won this week's US presidential election.

A known climate denier, Trump's victory has huge implications for the fight against climate change, and will reduce the ability for the US COP29 envoy to make any concrete commitments next week.

With news arriving this week that 2024 will likely be the hottest year on record and the first to breach 1.5 degrees Celsius in global warming, there will be a lot to discuss at COP29.