2024-05-05 08:00:22
During a demonstration by the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front against the expansion of the electorate for the next provincial elections in New Caledonia, in Nouméa, April 13, 2024. THEO ROUBY / AFP
Azerbaijan, the new stone in France’s shoes overseas. In New Caledonia, Polynesia and Guyana, the separatists are accused by the government of giving in to the support of the rich oil dictatorship of Ilham Aliev.
Among them, the Polynesian Tavini Huiraatira party, whose leaders have ruled the French Pacific territory since May 2023, signed, Tuesday, April 30, a memorandum with an organization created by the Azerbaijani regime against the “French colonialism”, the Baku Initiative Group. The press release refers to the agreement in vague terms: “prospects for the development of future relations”of the “results in the direction of decolonization”.
Before the Law Committee of the National Assembly, Monday April 29, the Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories, Gérald Darmanin, also denounced Azerbaijani links in New Caledonia “with a few currents, a few pro-independence personalities”. On April 18, a letter of intent for sporting or cultural cooperation was signed between the Congress of New Caledonia, with a pro-independence majority, and the Azerbaijani Parliament. This non-concerted initiative, justified by the need to defend the cause in international bodies, has been described as ” shame “ by loyalists in Nouméa. It aroused criticism within the independence ranks themselves.
Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers New Caledonia: three former prime ministers demand that Matignon take over the file
Add to your selections
“We have a tradition of foreign interference in New Caledoniacommented the Minister of the Interior. Coming from Australia and New Zealand [dans le passé]. Chinese, on economic issues and nickel. Opportunists [pour] Azerbaijan, whose interests in the South Pacific are not very clear and which is trying to use the Caledonian issue at the international level against France”ally of an Armenia hated by Baku.
Smear campaigns
The Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) maintains historic international links with former colonies, such as Vietnam and Libya. Like him, other overseas separatists have long since moved closer to their European counterparts, such as the Catalans. And all of them attend, in less than democratic countries like Venezuela, the regional seminars of the UN Special Committee on Decolonization. Mr. Darmanin presented France’s position twice before this committee, in New York, in May 2023 and in April 2024.
The communist deputy from Guyana Jean-Victor Castor, member of the Movement for Decolonization and Social Emancipation, was also criticized, at the end of 2023, for having gone, all expenses paid, to Baku, with his colleague Martinican deputy Marcellin Nadeau, founder of the Péyi-A movement. “I went to the meeting of non-aligned countries, to Azerbaijan then to Uganda. I’m perfectly comfortable with that.”, replies Mr. Castor. The Guyanese parliamentarian refers to Nelson Mandela to assert: “Small peoples do not have the choice of weapons, nor of their alliances. »
You have 47.51% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
#separatists #attacked #executive #links #Azerbaijan