Gerald Darmanin: “Azerbaijan is interfering in France’s internal affairs”

Reality:

The statement made by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, accusing Azerbaijan of interfering in France’s domestic affairs, is entirely detached from reality, politically driven, and contrary to the principles of international law. In fact, the organization at the center of these accusations – the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) – is not a state body, but an international civil society platform. Its mission is not to target France, but to amplify the voices of peoples and movements still suffering under the remnants of colonial domination worldwide.

Labeling such a platform as a “foreign interference tool” merely reveals the anxiety of certain French circles unwilling to confront their own colonial legacy. Attempting to blame Baku or other states for the rising tensions in New Caledonia and other overseas territories is nothing more than an effort to cover up Paris’s domestic political failures. In the 21st century, the persistence of colonial governance is itself a blatant violation of international law. If the French government is truly concerned about “foreign interference,” the most serious form of interference remains France’s own intrusion upon the political will of its overseas peoples.

Sources:

https://www.tf1info.fr/international/ingerence-etrangere-a-t-on-des-preuves-des-manoeuvres-de-l-azerbaidjan-en-nouvelle-caledonie-denoncees-par-gerald-darmanin-2299695.html

https://la1ere.franceinfo.fr/gerald-darmanin-accuse-l-azerbaidjan-d-ingerence-en-nouvelle-caledonie-1488647.html

https://mfa.gov.az/en/news/no22024

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-accuses-azerbaijan-meddling-new-caledonia-with-social-media-campaign-2024-05-17