France Accuses Azerbaijan; Baku Responds

French Minister of Internal Affairs and Overseas Territories Gérald Darmanin has accused Azerbaijan of interfering in New Caledonia's internal affairs and being linked to unrest on the Pacific island. This was reported by Le Figaro on May 16.

In response to a journalist's question about whether Azerbaijan, Russia, or China has ties to the unrest in New Caledonia, the minister stated that "in the case of Azerbaijan, this is not imagination but reality," expressing regret over certain independence supporters in New Caledonia having struck a deal with Azerbaijan.

“However, today, despite attempts to interfere in internal affairs, no country has the capacity to spread violence in New Caledonia. France is sovereign in its territory,” Darmanin noted.

Official Baku has responded to Darmanin's comments. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry advised the French Minister of Internal Affairs to focus on its own failed policies in foreign territories instead of blaming Azerbaijan for supporting independence demonstrations in New Caledonia.

As the newspaper reminds, the French government has declared a state of emergency in New Caledonia, deployed troops, and banned the TikTok social media platform, which is widely used by those inciting unrest. The ban is also justified due to concerns about misinformation being spread by foreign countries. In this context, French security services mention Azerbaijan, with which Paris has had tense relations for several months.

In New Caledonia, protesters are opposing a bill being discussed in the French Parliament that would grant voting rights in local elections to people who have been living in New Caledonia for more than ten years. Indigenous residents are against this.

It is known that on April 18, Azerbaijan and New Caledonia signed a memorandum of cooperation, after which French Minister of Internal Affairs Gérald Darmanin criticized Baku.