Forrest: New Caledonia is not an internal French matter
On May 24, an interview with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Caledonia, Mickael Forrest, was published in the French journal "L'Humanité."
Mickael Forrest noted that Kanaky - New Caledonia has been on the UN list of territories to be decolonized since 1986. The UN General Assembly annually adopts resolutions on the decolonization of New Caledonia and French Polynesia. According to the Nouméa Accord, which regulates the situation in New Caledonia, the UN should closely monitor this process.
Recalling his participation in a recent regional event held in Venezuela at the invitation of the UN Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24), the Minister of Foreign Affairs informed the participants about the riots in New Caledonia and requested that the New Caledonian Government send a C-24 mission to the territory for an accurate assessment of the situation on the ground. The minister stated that nine such missions have been organized since 2015 and emphasized their condemnation of election fraud organized by the French state. "The number of people brought from the French Metropolis is suffocating the local Kanak population," he said.
He also mentioned that they had appealed to the Special Committee on Decolonization for international mediation. The minister added that the participants at the event negatively perceived the indifference of forces close to the French Government to the essence of the problem.
M. Forrest said that France is violating international law and that the Kanaky - New Caledonia issue is not an internal matter of France. He also noted that he plans to visit Europe in the coming days to meet with members of Parliament who support New Caledonia. The minister added that the ongoing processes in New Caledonia are supported by the Pacific Islands Forum, Papua New Guinea, the Melanesian Spearhead Group, other countries, international non-governmental organizations, and the international community.
In conclusion, M. Forrest, responding to a question about the relations between New Caledonia and Azerbaijan, stated that the Government of New Caledonia has no problems with any country. He noted that Azerbaijan, as the chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, has always supported them, and they have observer status in the movement
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