An international liberation front has been created in Baku, aimed at the independence of French colonies. The declaration on the creation of the front was signed by several dozen parties representing colonized lands - Corsica, the Caribbean, and New Caledonia. Paris recently managed to weaken the independence movement of this island through repression, but not eradicate it. Relatives of Caledonian political prisoners also took part in the forum.
According to Report, NEWS.ru tried to answer questions about what methods the front plans to use to defend against Macron's repressive machine and what position Moscow takes in this direction.
The two-day forum, which began on Wednesday in the capital of Azerbaijan, was organized by the People's Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe with the support of the Baku Initiative Group (BIG). The group was created a year ago within the framework of the Non-Aligned Movement to counter the neocolonial policy pursued by Western countries.
The forum in Baku was attended by 17 leaders of parties and movements advocating for the independence of Corsica, Melanesia, Polynesia, the Caribbean and Antilles islands group, and other overseas territories of France, as well as the Netherlands.
On Thursday, a Declaration on the creation of the International Liberation Front was signed at the congress. Simultaneously, the website of the new organization - fildecof.org - began operating. The document strongly condemns the racist and repressive policy of colonialism, in particular, the crimes committed by the French government in New Caledonia and other colonial territories.
As stated by Jean-Jacob Bicep, Secretary General of the People's Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe, the purpose of the congress is to mobilize the world to put pressure on France. He was supported by Mikael Forrest, a representative of New Caledonia, an archipelago that has become a new hot spot on the planet. Clashes between independence supporters and gendarmes sent from Paris to suppress the unrest have not abated since mid-May.
According to Forrest, in France itself, "terrorism reigns, there is an internal political crisis, migration problems, and poverty." He called on the participants of the congress to "unite the peoples of the Caribbean and Pacific regions enslaved by France."
BIG Executive Director Abbas Abbasov condemned the violence used in suppressing protests in New Caledonia, in particular, the mass arrests of independence supporters. He promised financial assistance to the families of political prisoners, relatives of some of those arrested even came to Baku for the congress. In addition, Abbasov said, scholarships will be introduced for young islanders wishing to study in Azerbaijan.
In a joint statement, the forum participants sharply criticized Paris for "violating the right of the Kanak people (indigenous inhabitants of New Caledonia) to self-determination."
According to Sergey Markov, Director General of the Institute of Political Studies, by hosting such a forum, Azerbaijan delivered a "slap in the face" to France. Among the "imperialist powers," France behaves the worst, the expert tells NEWS.ru. He cites as an example the French-speaking countries of central Africa - formally they have long been independent, but in fact, Paris retained real power over them.
"Yes, French influence is waning there, but these are still some of the poorest countries in Africa. The Fifth Republic established its neo-colonial regime there and still plunders its overseas territories. At the same time, it does not allow these regions to develop," the political scientist lamented. Markov expressed regret that such forums are not yet organized in Moscow.
Maria Zakharova, a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, responding to a relevant question from NEWS.ru, drew attention to the fact that Moscow remains at the forefront of the modern anti-colonial movement.
"Parliamentary diplomacy is working very actively on this track, many events have been held. This is one of our priorities because it has not gone into the past: colonialism is gaining momentum today, it is preserved at a modern technological level, under a lacquered cover in the form of neocolonialism," Zakharova reminded.
For several months now, the world has been closely watching the situation on a tiny archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean - in New Caledonia. As a result of mass protests, 12 people died there, including two police officers, and over one and a half thousand island residents were arrested.
A similar situation is observed in another overseas department of France, in the Indian Ocean - on the island of Mayotte. Six months ago, it was engulfed by riots and widespread crime. After President Emmanuel Macron visited this territory, the British magazine Spectator published an article "Macron's Empire is Falling Apart."
According to the author of the article, the situation is deteriorating for the leader of the Fifth Republic not only on this island but also in other overseas possessions: French Polynesia, Réunion, French Guiana, and many others. These provinces absorb state finances in vain. However, his empire is crumbling before our eyes, the magazine claimed, referring to the President of France.
Macron is also losing positions in Africa. For example, until recently, the Republic of Niger was considered one of the bastions of French influence. Moreover, this republic possesses strategic uranium reserves necessary for French nuclear power plants.
Paris enslaved the entire political elite in this country, which was already permeated with French culture, former USSR Ambassador to Niger and Burkina Faso Evgeny Korendyasov told NEWS.ru. According to him, some countries, in particular Russia, viewed Paris's policy in the region as a form of neocolonialism. France controlled former colonies through soft power: the African franc, the French language, and expeditionary troops. But the military that came to power a year ago changed the foreign policy course, drawing closer to Moscow, and Macron was forced to order his troops to leave Niger.
In January, the new authorities of neighboring Burkina Faso also terminated the military agreement with Paris, which allowed the French contingent to be stationed there. Reuters called the decision to withdraw French troops from there another defeat for Paris.
France's overseas territories are unlikely to achieve independence in the near future, but the forum in Baku is still important, believes Dmitry Solonnikov, Director of the Institute of Modern State Development.
"Almost all aspects of colonialism were discussed. There will be an opportunity to bring these topics to the UN agenda, to the platforms of other major international organizations, such as UNESCO. So the congress is an important step before the overseas territories gain independence from France," he explained.
One of the most acute topics in the anti-colonial movement are issues of culture and ecology, the expert believes. "The problem of values stolen from the colonies and taken to Paris, London, and other metropolises stands apart. At that time, unfavorable conditions were imposed on countries - natural resources were bought from them for pennies, the purchase of expensive and useless goods was imposed, and environmentally harmful productions were brought to the colony," the interlocutor listed.
Markov notes that the current congress gathered opponents of European neocolonialism from different countries - representatives of Dutch colonies also appeared on the list of participants. "This congress is a shock to the world community. Other countries have seen an example of how to use such methods in foreign policy. The discourse of decolonization has significantly expanded," he emphasized.
"What is surprising, on the contrary, is the fact that in the 21st century there are still countries that, like leeches, have clung to others and do not want to let them go," State Duma deputy Alexey Juravlev tells NEWS.ru. "To one degree or another, by the way, many Western countries possess colonies. Not only France but also Great Britain, and even the USA, which always declared democratic development."
According to him, Russia never had such dependent territories, and during the USSR, Russia waged a purposeful struggle against colonial remnants. "By the way, in 1920, Baku hosted a Congress of the Peoples of the East, which was just about liberation from colonial yoke. So in this respect, Azerbaijan has an excellent heritage - and it's good that it has returned to this topic again," the Russian parliamentarian concluded.