BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, in an interview with France-2 TV channel on May 16, 2024, voiced another unfounded accusation against Azerbaijan, and France, as always “forgetting” its colonial policy, is trying to spread slander against others, a member of the Azerbaijani Parliament Sevinj Huseynova Trend.
The MP noted that France should look back at its murky past rather than make unfounded accusations against others.
“Undoubtedly, the world community has not forgotten France's colonial policy, committed genocides, and ethnic cleansing. The act of genocide committed by France in Algeria is a clear example,” the MP said.
She noted that blaming Azerbaijan for the fact that New Caledonia is fighting for its independence defies logic and is another manifestation of biased politics.
“New Caledonia has been fighting for freedom for more than 50 years. This struggle is directed against the colonial policy of France. To blame Azerbaijan in this regard is an indication of France's helplessness. France, which pays lip service to calling itself a democratic country, has been flagrantly violating the rights of other nations for many years and is now trying to cover it all up by slandering others. We have always witnessed France's biased and hypocritical policy towards Azerbaijan. France pursued such a policy towards Azerbaijan during the 30-year Armenian occupation of the country's lands, as well as during the 44-day war or afterward. After Azerbaijan's historic victory in the 44-day war, France's policy towards our country became even more aggressive. It is from this aggression that these unfounded accusations of the French Interior Minister come,” the MP said.
MP Mushfig Jafarov told Trend that France retains control over its former colonial territories and continues its policy in this regard.
“This has brought tensions in New Caledonia to a peak. There have been repeated clashes between police and protesters. During these clashes, law enforcement officers have used violence against protesters, and there have been injuries. The protests in New Caledonia, which have been going on for some time, have escalated into violent clashes in recent days. The world is silent about this policy of Paris, which applies double standards to the Kanak people and pursues a policy of assimilation,” the MP said.
He added that it was not by chance that the Azerbaijani head of state noted in his speech that “the territories ruled by France outside Europe are disgusting remnants of the French colonial empire. We also call on France to apologize and acknowledge responsibility for its colonial past and bloody colonial crimes and acts of genocide against NAM member countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, and elsewhere.”
“France has been interfering in referendums held in New Caledonia for years, rigging the vote. Just as France once intervened in the liberation movement of the Algerian people and committed genocide there, it is now trying to do the same with the Kanak people in New Caledonia. Paris, which has a history of crimes, seems intent on committing another genocide. I believe that international organizations should speak out against the oppression of the people of New Caledonia, against the policy of assimilation, to formally express their protest,” Jafarov said.
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