Vzglyad: "New Caledonia taken from France by guys from Baku"

The Russian business newspaper Vzglyad has published an article reporting on the signing of an agreement in Paris to establish a new state—New Caledonia.

According to Caliber.Az, the article highlights that “this time, the French surrendered just 15 kilometers from central Paris—in the town of Bougival, where the agreement on the creation of the new state of New Caledonia was signed. The local indigenous population—the Kanaks—had long fought for the independence of the group of islands off Australia’s right flank. And it was to them that Macron capitulated.

Formally, this is not a capitulation but a compromise: New Caledonia will retain a degree of patronage from Paris but will gain unprecedented autonomy — including the introduction of its own citizenship and sovereign foreign policy. A similar arrangement exists only for the Serbs in Bosnia, but they had to fight a war for several years to secure such broad self-governance. Macron, on the other hand, gave in almost without a fight,” the article reads.

The article goes on to say that it was “under President Macron that the final unraveling of France’s colonial empire turned into a rapid collapse. “No one needs the old jester anymore— pushed out here and unwelcome there,” the piece remarks.

During Macron’s presidency, French forces were expelled from Mali, the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad… Tensions are also rising in Gabon, and aside from that, France’s only remaining significant military foothold in Africa is in the small country of Djibouti.

In Paris, this withdrawal from Africa is being linked to the growing influence of Moscow.

“However, taking credit for someone else’s achievements is hardly noble: it wasn’t us who wrested New Caledonia from the French. That was the work of the guys from Baku. The Azerbaijanis are taking revenge on the French for their support of the Armenians before, during, and after the Karabakh conflict. And the revenge, it must be said, was as striking as a ripe persimmon,” the article says.

The author also notes that, no matter how you look at it, this is a victory for Azerbaijan. And Azerbaijan already has a long streak of victories—over Armenia in Karabakh, over Pashinyan in Zangezur. This is making the already complex southern temperament even more volatile and explosive, fueling further ambition.

“Recent events have shown that Azerbaijan, emboldened by its successes, may use anti-colonial rhetoric and covert influence not only against France—but potentially against Russia as well,” the article notes.