Paris accused Baku of running a separatist campaign in France

According to the international group Tasnim news agency, the French state protection service in Against Foreign Digital Interventions (VIGINUM) announced that the Republic of Azerbaijan is conducting a smear campaign on social networks targeting France against the background of unrest and separatism in New Caledonia.

Viginum noted in its report that Azerbaijani-origin accounts had discovered “widespread and coordinated publication of patently false or misleading content” accusing French police of shooting protesters in New Caledonia on the X and Facebook platforms in recent days.

The report notes that: on May 15 alone, 1,686 users on the X platform shared fake information targeting France, with at least 86 of them claiming to be members of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party. YAP) are On May 16, at least 112 of the 301 users who posted similar posts on the X platform stated in their bios that they were from the ruling New Azerbaijan Party and were Azerbaijani.

Viginum emphasized. that Islam Bafadarov, one of the first users who published fake information including photo and video montages, worked as a consultant in the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, and another person named Almedin Behbod, who said that he was in the Council for the Support of Non-Governmental Organizations under the supervision of the President of Azerbaijan works, has previously participated in similar campaigns.

This report also includes a partial list of users participating in the campaign, as well as examples of disinformation.

The ruling party of New Azerbaijan has not yet commented on these claims.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanan in an interview with “France 2” TV on May 16, Republic of Azerbaijan accused of meddling in the internal politics of New Caledonia (a special territorial-administrative unit of France in the Pacific), where riots broke out during the week. Baku denied these accusations.

Darmanan called the Republic of Azerbaijan a dictatorship and noted: Azerbaijan’s involvement in France’s internal affairs is not a fantasy, but a reality. I am sorry that some leaders of Caledonian independence supporters have made a deal with the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan immediately issued a statement and emphasized that it completely rejects the “baseless statements” of the French minister.

Aikhan Hajizadeh, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said: “Instead of accusing Azerbaijan of supporting the pro-independence demonstrations in New Caledonia, the French Minister of the Interior should focus on the failed policy of his country towards the border areas that caused such There have been protests, focus.

The relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and France gradually deteriorated after the Second Karabakh War. In September 2022, bloody clashes on the border of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia, followed by an Azerbaijani military operation, led to the return of Baku’s full control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the withdrawal of Armenians from the region. At the time when France increased its public political and military support for Armenia, the relations between Baku and Paris became tense.

During this period, the French authorities accused the Republic of Azerbaijan of violating the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. and threatened the territorial integrity of Armenia, while Baku accused France of supporting separatism in Azerbaijan and preparing Armenia for the next war by arming.

Relations, in December of last year, the Republic of Azerbaijan expelled two diplomats working in the French Embassy in Baku. Paris did the same in response. Azerbaijan also arrested a French citizen living in Baku on charges of espionage.

On the other hand, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at the Non-Aligned Movement conferences held in Baku in March 2023 and then in July held, accusing France of neo-colonialism.

In July 2023, a conference was held in Baku that brought together separatists and supporters of independence from French overseas territories, including New Caledonia.

At the end of the conference, “Baku Initiative Group” was created to fight against “French colonialism”. This group has recently held events, meetings and campaigns around this issue.

Over the past year, the number of articles accusing France of “colonialism” in the media close to the government of the Republic of Azerbaijan has increased. , including in Azerbaijan’s state intelligence agency, which usually accuses France of “colonialism”, has increased. The flags of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the portraits of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev have appeared in the pro-independence protests in New Caledonia. In New Caledonia, it condemned and pointed out that the French government was responsible for the unrest and expressed its support for the local Kanak people.

end of message/