Abbas Abbasov: President of Azerbaijan - one of few leaders who actively help fight colonialism

It's been a year since the establishment of the Baku Initiative Group (BIG). Abbas Abbasov, the executive director of the group, spoke to Report in an interview about the projects implemented by the Group over this year and plans for the future.

-It's been a year since the establishment of the Baku Initiative Group, and during this time, your organization has implemented numerous impactful projects and initiatives. which of these efforts would you consider the most significant, and are there any specific ones you would particularly like to highlight?

- Over the past year, the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) has conducted a number of significant international events, published reports, conducted joint research with experts on decolonization and briefings for the media, as well as implemented projects aimed at combating colonialism and protecting the rights of peoples to self-determination who are still suffering from colonial policies.

-We don't divide our events and projects into more or less important ones - each project and conference held has its unique significance, and they all aimed to draw attention and convey the truth to the international community about the ongoing manifestations of colonialism and neocolonialism. These initiatives have turned Baku into an international platform for important dialogues on decolonization. Undoubtedly, the President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev and our country's successful chairmanship in the Non-Aligned Movement have played a particularly important role in this regard. Our President is one of the few leaders who actively contributes to the support for the fight against colonialism in line with international law, consistently highlighting this global issue on various international platforms.

Regarding your question about the most significant events of BIG, I would like to emphasize that, as I mentioned earlier, we don't divide the international events held into more or less important ones, but the first Congress of Independence Movements from French-colonized territories held on July 17-18, 2024 in Baku, has held a special role. The appeal addressed by the representatives of colonized regions to hold the first congress in Baku is the main indicator that our capital is the center and international platform for dialogues on Decolonization. BIG was established in the summer of 2023 and in a short time, the organization achieved significant success in the direction of decolonization. The first period of our activity for foreign media was a stage of study and familiarization with the organization, and over the year, BIG's awareness and reputation have increased even more. Today, many prominent international media outlets frequently seek out BIG for interviews and to publish articles.

- With which international organizations or movements has BIG managed to establish cooperation this year to fight colonialism and the remnants of neocolonialism?

- During 2023, BIG established successful cooperation with six overseas territories and Corsica. Over the past six months our organization has established cooperation with several Dutch colonies, such as Sint Maarten and Bonaire, with African countries affected by the consequences of neocolonialism, including Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, as well as the island of Mayotte.

BIG has established connections with several influential international organizations and their main bodies, such as the UN Human Rights Council, the UN Special Committee on Decolonization C-24, the UN Special Political and Decolonization Committee C-4, the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent at the UN, as well as relevant interactions with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. We continue to actively expand our cooperation to combat the remnants of neocolonialism and strengthen global support on these issues. This year, four memoranda of cooperation have also been signed with a number of parties and organizations from colonized regions, which was an important step in our desire for broader international interaction and assistance in the struggle for decolonization.

- What are the main challenges and difficulties facing the Baku Initiative Group in its fight against modern forms of colonialism? And what are the plans for the coming years in terms of expanding its activities and influence on the international agenda?

- One of the modern forms of colonialism is neocolonialism, which manifests itself not only through political control but also through financial and economic expansion. BIG is actively developing cooperation with states affected by the impact of neocolonialism, expanding its work with African countries that suffer the most from this form of pressure. The main challenges for BIG remain insufficient attention of the international community to modern forms of colonialism, as well as political and economic pressure from metropolitan countries. In the coming years, we plan to strengthen our presence on international platforms, expand cooperation and deepen interaction with the UN and other international institutions. One of our main goals is to raise awareness about the problems of colonialism and neocolonialism and achieve justice for peoples who continue to suffer from these colonial phenomena.

- Recently, your organization held a conference dedicated to the island of Mayotte. It is known that it is part of the Comoros archipelago, but is under the control of Paris. What further steps does BIG plan to take to restore justice for Mayotte?

- On September 3, 2024, an agreement on cooperation was signed in Baku between BIG and the Maore Committee (Mayotte Islands), which is currently under French colonial rule. BIG is actively working to provide support in overcoming the economic and financial consequences of colonialism, especially in the areas of healthcare and enviroment in Mayotte. There is UN Resolution 3385 (XXX), and we intend to systematically engage international organizations to encourage France to fulfill its commitments in accordance with UN decisions. France's goal is to divert the attention of the world community and international organizations from their actual occupation of Mayotte; they seek to localize this issue and try to prevent raising awareness of the international community about the occupation. We will continue to provide active support to the Comoros in their desire to restore sovereignty over the territory.

- Metropolitan countries don't pay attention to climate problems in their remote island territories, as a result, according to their claims, they are particularly affected by the consequences of climate change. In light of COP29, do you plan to organize any events within this conference?

- BIG believes that the unfair treatment of climate problems in island territories is a consequence of the colonial approach to managing these regions. BIG is organizing an event within the conference to highlight this issue and attract support from the world community to combat climate challenges in colonized territories.

- Last year, on September 22, at the UN headquarters in New York (US), as part of the ongoing general discussions of the UN General Assembly, a conference titled "Decolonization: The Quiet Revolution" was held, organized by the Baku Initiative Group. Do you plan to raise the issue of neocolonialism at the UN again this year?

- We have held a total of four international conferences at the UN, and we plan to continue this activity throughout 2024. In June of this year, we held another international conference at the UN headquarters in New York during the main sessions of the UN Special Committee on Decolonization C-24. Also, last year we held one of the international conferences at the UN headquarters in Geneva, on the day of the adoption of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples on December 14, with representatives from 11 colonized regions participating in this conference. The issue of colonialism and neocolonialism remains at the center of our attention, and we are considering the possibility of holding another event within the 142nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council dedicated to this topic. Also, I would like to note that on September 22-23, the Summit of the Future will be held at the UN headquarters in New York. With the support of the Agency for State Support to NGOs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, I am flying to New York today to participate in the summit and plan to hold a series of meetings in the framework of the summit with representatives of colonized regions.