France occupied Mayotte Island for economic interests, says AIR Center

France has occupied Mayotte Island due to economic interests, Javid Valiyev, head of the department at the Center for Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center), said at a conference titled "Illegal French Occupation of Mayotte Island of Comoros Union" organized by the Baku Initiative Group, Report informs.

Valiyev stated that the people of the Comoros have lived in peaceful conditions, but France is blatantly violating the territorial integrity of the union.

"Mayotte Island is part of the Comoros Islands, but France is openly violating the islands' territorial integrity. In 1995, France restricted free travel from the other three islands of the Comoros Islands to Mayotte and imposed a visa requirement, which is a gross violation of international law. In 2011, France turned Mayotte Island into one of its provinces, which many consider an occupation of Mayotte," he said.

Valiyev noted that considering the strategic location of Mayotte Island, it is easy to see why France is interested in keeping it under its control.

"France has military attachés in 33 countries, 13 of which are in the Indo-Pacific region. France sees the occupied Mayotte as its own territory. Interestingly, if France considers Mayotte its own territory, why does it deploy a military unit there?" he questioned.

The expert emphasized that France is protecting its neocolonial interests in the region.