Absolute majority of Corsicans dreams of autonomy - Jean Marc Rodriguez Exclusive by Caliber.Az

“The current situation in Corsica has not changed, the general status is the same, due to the historical process proclaimed by French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who postponed the question of the special status for the island.”

The mayor of the Corsican city of Poggio di Venaco, Jean Marc Rodriguez, stated this in a conversation with a Caliber.Az correspondent at the international conference “Neocolonialism: Violation of human rights and injustice”, organized by the Baku Initiative Group.

“This is a rather difficult question because the colonial policy continued for many years. Since the 1960s, colonial problems were still evident on our territory. In particular, France intended to conduct nuclear tests in Corsica. This was the first alarm signal that allowed to stand up to France. Unfortunately, our Polynesian and Algerian friends suffered from the consequences of the French nuclear tests.

Our aspirations for freedom have existed since Pascal Paoli created an independent republic in the XVIII century. It is very difficult to estimate the exact number of people, but in the latest election, the percentage of those seeking autonomy for the island was 60-70 per cent. However, Paris continues to populate Corsica with French people,” Rodriguez added.