BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 20. Despite centuries having passed, disgraceful new methods of French colonialism persist due to the unchanging mindset, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in his address to the participants of the "Neocolonialism: Violation of Human Rights and Injustice" international conference, Trend reports.
"Eighteen thousand skulls of the fighters murdered throughout the colonial wars of the XIX century are kept and displayed at the Paris Museum of Mankind. The skulls of Algerian fighters are among the others on display. France is yet to comply with Algeria’s demand to return those skulls. Finding such a mentality in any country in the XXI century is a rare occurrence.
Despite centuries having passed, disgraceful new methods of French colonialism persist due to the unchanging mindset. The peoples of the overseas territories gathered at this Conference have fought for independence for many years. France, unable to abandon its colonialism history, disregards the aspirations and the rights of the peoples outside of France – overseas communities and territories of the Pacific and Atlantic and goes out of its way to undermine the realization of those aspirations.
The social situation in French Guiana is gradually deteriorating; nearly half of the population is on the edge of poverty, and unemployment is rising yearly. Its natural resources are plundered, and 90% of the land is in the possession of the French government.
Martinique and Guadeloupe face two significant disasters. The indigenous population is subjected to assimilation through clandestine and illicit resettlement. The past use of chlordecone pesticide had poisoned the natural ecosystems and population, as the locals still cope with its oncological ramifications.
France refuses to recognize the sovereignty of the Union of Comoros over the Island of Mayotte. In its documents, the Non-Aligned Movement always supports the unequivocal sovereignty of the Union of Comoros over the Island of Mayotte.
A referendum is held in New Caledonia without the participation of half its population, depriving them of their right to independence.
France, which rejects the concept of ethnic minorities, is prohibiting the Corsican language. The UN assessed that as discrimination and violation of international law. Pursuing the policy of hypocrisy and double standards, France is simultaneously attempting to position itself as a defender of national minorities in our region," President Ilham Aliyev said.