The Azerbaijani government completely rejects another statement by French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin about alleged ties between Baku and the New Caledonian independence movement. This was stated by the representative of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Hajizade. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry recalled that it is better for Paris to focus “on its failed policy towards overseas regions, which leads to such protests.”

Earlier, French Interior Minister Darmanin accused Azerbaijan of interfering in the unrest in New Caledonia, where mass protests began on May 13. The reason is the adoption by the French Parliament of a resolution that provides for the expansion of the electorate in local elections to include French citizens who have lived on the island for more than 10 years.

In the capital of New Caledonia, during the protests, participants, among others, raised the flag of Azerbaijan. New Caledonia is an administrative-territorial entity of France located in the Pacific Ocean. The majority of the population is the Melanesian Kanak people.