Caledonian FM raises concerns: Influx of French residents impacts indigenous Kanaks PHOTO

On May 24, L`Humanite, a French magazine, published an interview with Mickael Forrest, New Caledonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In the interview, Mickael Forrest notes that since 1986 New Caledonia has been on the UN list of territories subject to decolonisation. The UN General Assembly annually adopts resolutions on the decolonisation of New Caledonia and French Polynesia. Under the terms of the Nouméa Accord governing the situation in New Caledonia, the UN must closely monitor the process.

Mickael Forrest recalled his participation at the recent regional event of the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation (C-24) in Venezuela and said he had briefed the participants on the unrest in New Caledonia, and requested that a C-24 mission be sent there to properly assess the situation on the ground. The Foreign Minister said that 9 such missions have been organised since 2015, stressing that New Caledonia condemns the rigging of elections by the French state. "The massive influx of people from metropolitan France is stifling the indigenous Kanaks," he stated.

Mickael Forrest said they were requesting international mediation before the Special Committee on Decolonisation. He emphasized that the Kanaki-New Caledonia issue was not an internal French affair and disclosed that he would be travelling to Europe in the coming days to hold a meeting with members of parliament who support New Caledonia. The Minister mentioned that the processes currently underway in New Caledonia have been supported by the Pacific Islands Forum, the Melanesian Initiative Group, Papua New Guinea, and several other countries, international non-governmental organizations, and the international community.

In conclusion, Mickael Forrest, responded to a question about relations between New Caledonia and Azerbaijan, stating that the Government of New Caledonia had no issues with either country and noted that Azerbaijan was the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, which has always supported them.