AZCHEMCO Vice-Chairman Rifat Sultanzada: Gobustan codes - salvation of humanity from global climate change

Report presents an interview with AZCHEMCO Vice-Chairman Rifat Sultanzada.

- Being in the Green Zone of COP29, the AZCHEMCO pavilion is truly one of the most attractive both for locals and visitors to the capital. Could you tell us a bit about the history of the pavilion's design?

- As you may have noticed, our pavilion features a model of a rock reminiscent of Gobustan. This is no coincidence, as Gobustan is considered one of the world's most important heritage sites, marking a significant episode in human history. In my opinion, the symbols of Gobustan represent a kind of code that was encrypted many centuries ago for us to decipher today.

Recently, a film titled "The Gobustan Code" was released, presenting viewers with the sacredness and encrypted message. We consider that this fact is basic in saving the humanity from global climate changes.

- What was the reason for AZCHEMCO's participation in COP29?

- According to UN statistics, the world's population is expected to increase from the current 8 billion to 9.7 billion by 2050 in the next 30 years. UN reports indicate that it is necessary to fundamentally change the global food and agricultural system to be able to feed about 700 million people who are hungry today, and almost 2 billion more people by 2050.

Previously at COP21 in Paris and COP23 in Bonn, the global community discussed the topic of restoring saline soils to return them to agriculture, which would solve several "Sustainable Development Goals" at once. Today at COP29, AZCHEMCO and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources demonstrated to the global community that there is a solution, and it is located in the country hosting the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change – in Azerbaijan.

- Could you please elaborate on the advantages of the project?

- Thanks to the technology and methodology of underground drip irrigation systems and the innovative product "Drip Drop 369" from AZCHEMCO, it is now possible to reduce salinity and regulate the pH of soil previously unsuitable for agriculture. Laboratory studies conducted by Azelab and Intertek have revealed a remarkable decrease in soil salinity from 3.6 to 0.3 and electrical conductivity from 9,140 to 291. These findings confirm the potential to use saline soils in agriculture.

This, in turn, will bring the soil into a suitable condition for cultivation, improve its quality and increase overall productivity together with liquid and water-soluble fertilizers.

The implementation of this project addresses several Sustainable Development Goals simultaneously as increases the availability of agricultural land, minimizes water consumption during irrigation, and enables precise control over the number of applied high-quality liquid and water-soluble fertilizers.

Moreover, the use of underground drip irrigation systems eliminates moisture evaporation and prevents the formation and release of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas contributing to global warming, into the atmosphere. Expanding agricultural areas and adopting proper farming methodologies will contribute to partially alleviating food scarcity, one of the primary objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals.

- How do you assess the hosting of COP29 in Baku?

- On behalf of our company and myself, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, for his immeasurable contribution to supporting such a significant event for the global community in Azerbaijan. The policy of the deeply respected President of Azerbaijan is the fundamental basis for the favorable development of the public and private sectors of today's Azerbaijan, both within the country and abroad.

I believe that the organizers of the conference, led by the President of COP29, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mukhtar Babayev, have more than excellently fulfilled their assigned tasks and shown the whole world that Azerbaijan is a leading country for discussing and solving global environmental and climate problems.

I also cannot but mention the incredible support from Azerbaijani and foreign figures in the Green Zone. Over the past days, the AZCHEMCO pavilion was visited by Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and founder and head of the IDEA Public Union, President of COP29 and Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mukhtar Babayev, Chairman of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency of Azerbaijan Orkhan Mammadov, president of FC Barcelona Joan Laporta, world-famous footballer Ronaldinho, and head of the National Museum of Georgia, corresponding member of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, Professor David Lordkipanidze.