Colonial policy expert hails Azerbaijan's struggle against neocolonialism as unprecedented

Azerbaijan has been playing an unprecedented role in the global stage against French neocolonialism, PhD in colonialism Louis Philippe Patrick De Jongh Filho said in his article in the Contemporary magazine.

According to Report, when working on his material, the researcher attended two UN meetings organized by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), held a series of interviews in Azerbaijan, analyzed literature to assess Azerbaijan's contribution to the struggle against the French neocolonialism.

The author of the article believes that despite the formal departure of the global community from ideas of colonialism in the 20th century, some countries, such as France, still maintain control over territories, calling them overseas territories, but which are actually their colonial possessions.

"The peoples of these territories resist, although France ignores the local realities of them, such as indigenous peoples and tries to assimilate them. In this sense, France has not ratified the ILO Convention that protects the rights of indigenous peoples," he said in his article.

Describing the reasons why Azerbaijan supports the fight against neocolonialism in the world, the researcher noted that the country's approach to multiculturalism itself stands in opposition to colonial policy.

He emphasized that in Azerbaijan, along with countries like Canada and Australia, the position of ethnic minorities in society is better than in France, as the latter seeks to assimilate subordinate peoples and erase ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity within the state.

"The Baku International Multiculturalism Center was established through a decree issued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, on 15 May 2014. It is an institutional example of the defense of multiculturalism to the world, that comes as a result of a process started on the 2nd and 3rd of December, 2008, following the 'Baku Process', which was an initiative created to promote intercultural dialogue," the author notes, adding that it is aimed at both the existence of different groups in society and the promotion of tolerance and respect between peoples, which prevents the fragmentation of society and promotes dialogue between different ethnic, racial, and religious groups.

Citing the representative of the Center for Multiculturalism, Abdullah Najafov, he indicated that the center was created as a means of promoting the Azerbaijani model of multiculturalism.

For comparison, he examined the educational models in Azerbaijan and France and pointed out the contrast between the approaches of the two states.

"The Azerbajani educational experience contrasts with experiences of France, because France wants to unify, and, in this process, does not respect the cultural and linguistic differences. The schools become instruments of French governmental control, shaping the overseas population's minds within the national framework interests," he said.

As part of his scientific work, the scientist interviewed BIG representatives and analyzed their activities in the fight against neocolonialism. The scientist believes that BIG's activities at the UN were unprecedented, and the special commission created under the Parliament of Azerbaijan dealing with decolonization issues has no analogues.

The scientist said that Azerbaijan plays an unprecedented role on the world stage in the fight against French neocolonialism.

He noted that the events conducted by BIG have drawn UN attention to this issue and allowed the media to observe these processes.

The fight against colonialism is a political value for Azerbaijan, considering that multiculturalism is viewed in this country as a life model, the researcher noted.