Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called on the European Union on Saturday to end its "hypocrisy" and assist the gas-rich nation in boosting its exports to Europe.

"Today, Europe is in dire need of our natural gas. It is important to put an end to hypocrisy in this matter. On the one hand, Europe asks us to increase the production of gas and to pipe it to Europe as it desperately needs it. On the other hand, they won"t fund it," Aliyev said.

Earlier this week, Aliyev announced that Azerbaijani gas supplies to Europe are projected to reach 13 billion cubic meters in 2024.

The Azerbaijani president made this statement at the Shusha Global Media Forum, which is being held in the city of Shusha. The second edition of the forum has attracted over 150 participants from 50 countries.

Ahead of COP29, Azerbaijan Proposes Fossil Fuel Compatibility with Paris Agreement

Azerbaijan, set to host this year’s global climate talks, has proposed that continued fossil fuel extraction is compatible with the Paris Agreement.

With four months until COP29 in Baku, the Azerbaijani presidency on Friday announced 14 non-binding pledges and partnerships for countries to consider at the summit.

On Saturday, Elnur Soltanov, the summit's chief executive and Azerbaijan’s deputy energy minister, told Politico that the Paris climate accord’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius does not necessarily require reducing fossil fuel production.

He argued that some fossil fuels will still be needed for energy and other uses even if the world achieves climate neutrality by mid-century. Soltanov stressed the need to focus on emissions, which are the primary cause of global warming, rather than on the use of hydrocarbons themselves.

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Azerbaijan, a major oil and gas producer, plans to increase fossil fuel extraction. President Ilham Aliyev recently described the country’s fossil fuel reserves as "a gift of the gods." Despite this stance, none of the 14 initiatives announced on Friday directly address fossil fuel use.

The primary announcement was a new "Climate Finance Action Fund" (CFAF) to be headquartered in Baku, funded by voluntary contributions from fossil fuel-producing countries and companies. The CFAF will become operational only after at least 10 countries collectively pledge $1 billion.

Other initiatives include a :Green Energy Pledge" focused on infrastructure and regulation, a pledge to increase global green energy storage capacity to 1,500 gigawatts by 2030, a "COP Truce Appeal" calling for a global ceasefire during the summit, and a partnership for enhanced climate action in the tourism sector.