Azay Guliyev delivers remarks at the EEDIM’s closing session, 29 Oct. 2025 (Photo: Micky Kroell/OSCE)VIENNA, 29 October 2025 – Azay Guliyev, Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment, today urged OSCE participating States to boost resilience-building efforts amid growing challenges. At the closing session of the 2025 OSCE Environmental and Economic Dimension Implementation Meeting in Vienna, Guliyev delivered a strong call to action, emphasizing that resilience is not just a matter of recovery – it means prevention, preparedness, and good governance.
Highlighting the climate crisis as an escalating security threat, Guliyev pointed out that unprecedented heat has intensified extreme weather, eroded biodiversity, and exposed energy vulnerabilities. This demands immediate mitigation, adaptation, and financing solutions, he stressed.
Conflicts further exacerbate existing challenges, acting as a disaster multiplier, Guliyev argued, recalling that in its recently adopted Porto Declaration, the OSCE PA strongly condemned Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, which has caused environmental devastation, disrupted connectivity, and increased emissions.
Furthermore, regional conflicts have led to the destruction of critical infrastructure and eroded communities’ ability to respond to natural disasters, while corruption has weakened institutions’ capacity to address natural and man-made disasters, significantly eroding public trust. This in turn further hampers the effectiveness of state responses, Guliyev said, and therefore breaking this vicious cycle must be a top priority.
He highlighted several cases demonstrating positive momentum, including diplomatic breakthroughs in the South Caucasus and the initialling of the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace agreement on 8 August in Washington, which signalls a new era of co-operation.
In moving forward, Guliyev urged OSCE participating States to scale up co-operation in early warning systems, hazard mapping and data sharing, disaster preparedness, and contingency funds for climate shocks. He also highlighted the transformative potential of AI and quantum computing in environmental monitoring and risk prediction.
Finally, he stressed the need to enhance transboundary resource management in vulnerable regions such as Central Asia, Caspian and the Mediterranean, where shared water management is critical for stability and resilience. “The problem of the Caspian Sea’s shallowing poses serious environmental, economic, and social risks for the entire region: restoring the ecological balance of Caspian Sea is therefore critical,” he underlined.
In this context, parliamentarians can act as a bridge between state institutions and local communities, he stressed, building broad societal support for executive actions, upgrading legislation and allocating adequate resources. “To better translate commitments into impactful action, we need to duly leverage the role of legislators,” Guliyev concluded.
While in Vienna, Guliyev met with the incoming Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council, Amb. Nägeli, the Chair of the OSCE Economic and Environmental Committee, Amb. Župevc, and the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, Amb. Dzhusupov, to share priorities and align agendas with OSCE executive structures.
This afternoon, he is holding a hybrid meeting with OSCE PA economic and environmental committee officials and several Special Representatives to update on the latest developments and strengthen internal synergies on economic and environmental security.
