Corsica awaiting rescue from France
Mission possible

ANALYTICS  30 April 2023 - 10:13

The world’s geopolitical map is constantly changing, and the new scenarios that emerge from these dynamic processes require careful analysis and a comprehensive approach. In this context, the island of Corsica (essentially a colony), a territory rich in history and a unique cultural environment is an example of a complex geopolitical case.

With the exception of Napoleon Bonaparte, the entire history of the island's forced incorporation into France has been an unending struggle. The struggle for rights, autonomy (not even independence), and the preservation of the language. Speaking of the latter. According to most French scholars, Corsican is a corrupted version of Italian. Since the 18th century, when Corsica became part of France against its will, Paris waged a relentless war on the Corsican language. France still leads it, despite the adoption in 1992 of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, which legitimised the inalienable right to use regional languages in private and public life. The French tried to prevent the adoption of the charter, but to no avail - it was accepted by most of the Council of Europe member states.

The lower standard of living compared to that of the French mainland, coupled with the high unemployment rate, also adds fuel to the fire. According to the National Statistics Institute, one in four young Corsicans is unemployed. Corsicans have fewer opportunities to get on with their lives than on the "mainland". And this at a time when Corsica is one of the most popular tourist destinations of the Old World. Corsicans rightly accuse Paris of being unwilling to spend its attention and finances on them. It is therefore hardly surprising that the islanders continue to lobby for greater autonomy (or even national independence), both politically and militarily - there are regular mass protests in Corsica, which are brutally suppressed by Parisian troops.

A small digression should be made here. France, as is known, has from the very beginning of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict taken an openly pro-Armenian position. However, the "tender sisterly" love has deprived the French not only of the ability to perceive the situation in our region adequately, but also of their vision. The Macron administration refuses to take into account not only Azerbaijan's goodwill gestures (such as the offer to return citizenship to the Karabakh Armenians, who are not tainted by war crimes, the invitation for dialogue in Baku, etc.), but also the tremendous work which the Azerbaijani side has already done in the Karabakh region in the last two and a half years. Unlike Paris, which has given up on Corsica and sees the island only as part of an “empire”, Azerbaijan is spending billions of dollars to bring life back to the liberated territories and even more to make it better than it was before the occupation.

Here we come perhaps to the main point. It seems to us that such important but not always effective European structures as the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) do not pay due attention to the issue of the Corsican people. We understand, of course, that France is one of the pillars and locomotives of the EU, but financial and economic power should not supersede fundamental human rights, which are universally violated by Paris in Corsica. Why not, for example, the permanent representative of Azerbaijan to the OSCE initiate a fact-finding mission in Corsica? The PACE itself could also help in sending a monitoring mission to the island.

The mission would contribute to a deeper understanding of the situation, providing a more transparent and objective view of the current living conditions of the Corsicans. And this is not a utopia. Why, if France is more concerned about the fate of 30,000 Armenians of Karabakh, but not caring about 330,000 Corsicans, this does not mean that the whole world does not care. Someone needs to raise their voice in defence of these people. Why not Azerbaijan, especially the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), an organization designed to defend justice and international law.

Azerbaijan's active position on this issue will serve as an example to other international actors in terms of active engagement on difficult issues. Moreover, it will demonstrate that every country, regardless of size or geographical location, can contribute to international efforts to support oppressed countries and peoples.

It is also worth mentioning that the possible proposal to organise missions to Corsica cannot be considered in isolation from the wider context. The proposal should be part of an international effort to ensure justice and equality for all, excluding the possibility of double standards. In this sense, such missions, especially when they take place in economically developed countries such as France, will send a strong signal that issues of respect and protection of minorities remain important and relevant. After all, such missions, if not to solve the problems of Corsicans, would at least play a role in establishing a dialogue between Paris and Ajaccio.

Caliber.Az