The government of Azerbaijan has signed a $4.7 million contract with the U.S.-based company Teneo Strategy to enhance its public image ahead of COP29, set to take place amid ongoing political arrests and crackdown on free media. The contract’s details revealed by the Responsible Statecraft, an online magazine of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft in the U.S.
What Teneo Strategy does for the Azerbaijani Government:
According to the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), Teneo Strategy was hired by Narmin Jarchalova, Chairperson and CEO of the COP29 Operating Company, to perform the following tasks:
- Establish the communications function for COP29
- Narrative developement
- Plan communication and engagement campaigns
- Manage issues related to public relations
- Facilitate organizational development
- Build media relations
- Conduct media training sessions
- Carry out surveys and research
What has Teneo Strategy done so far:
The company hosted a lavish dinner at a 5-star hotel restaurant in Karabakh for three journalists during the 2nd Global Media Forum in Shusha. The following morning, an article praising Azerbaijan’s full control over Karabakh was published in The Pakistan Daily. The article’s author, Hamza Azhar Salam, followed up with a series of tweets about President Ilham Aliyev, listing nine favorable qualities on X (formerly Twitter). Following these tweets the reportage was shared by CBC Azerbaijan, which includes the interview with journalist.
Additionally, Teneo Strategy has contacted 144 journalists from 88 media outlets around 500 times to promote Azerbaijan’s COP29 agenda, that includes framing the event as a peace initiative.
How Much does Azerbaijan spend to Improve its image:
According to Responsible Statecraft, five Teneo executives are currently on the ground, in Baku, with $350,000 already was spent on flights and accommodation. U.S. officials have also benefited from Azerbaijan’s “generosity.”
In May, state lawmakers from Maine spent nine days in Azerbaijan with their travel, food, and lodging expenses covered by Azerbaijan’s State Committee on Work with Diaspora. Part of their itinerary included a two-day briefing in Karabakh on “liberation from occupation.” State Representative Jill Duson responded to the invitation by saying, “Guess I should locate my passport. I am very excited!”
Teneo’s Previous Collaboration:
“Teneo Strategy” is a suitable company for image cleaning before COP29, which will be hosted by Azerbaijan.The firm previously worked with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to help restore its tarnished image ahead of COP28, following criticism related to environmental and human rights violations. The contract with Teneo was signed in last minute and earned $1.5 million for its work.
New York Times Feature and Other Media Coverage:
During a press trip to Baku, Teneo met with Frank Kane, Editor-at-Large of Arab Gulf Business Insight (AGBI). Following this meeting, Kane remarked that COP29 organizers should be prepared for an unprecedented levels of ignorance and prejudice, noting, “They will attack you on perceived corruption, human rights, and geopolitics—the myth of Azerbaijan aggression”.
Three days later, the influential Indian newspaper The Hindu published an article titled “Climate conference in November to emphasise ‘peace’ and ‘truce.’” Additionally, Teneo facilitated the publication of an article in The New York Times based, in part, on a visit to Nagorno-Karabakh.
