By Cavid Aga in Baku Azerbaijan has appointed Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mukhtar Babayev, a former state oil company executive, to preside over this year’s United Nations climate discussions. The Azerbaijani government’s decision to appoint Babayev will intensify doubts over the wisdom of choosing Azerbaijan to host COP29, given Azerbaijan’s status as a major oil and gas producer. This decision has rekindled the debate about the oil and gas sector’s influence in international dialogues aimed at curbing fossil fuel consumption. The country’s selection of Babayev – who has extensi…