
Azerbaijan to host conference on ‘Belgian colonialism’
The organiser, the Baku Initiative Group, regularly hosts conferences on French colonialism.

The organiser, the Baku Initiative Group, regularly hosts conferences on French colonialism.

Azerbaijan appears to be trying to position itself as a champion of the anti-colonial movement by criticising France’s colonial past and supporting independence movements in its overseas territories. This week, we speak to political analyst and PhD candidate at Charles University in Prague Bahruz Samadov about the Baku Initiative Group, a group linked to the Azerbaijani government, and its anti-colonial conference, and how Azerbaijan appears to be appropriating anti-coloni

An Azerbaijani government-linked initiative has organised a conference against European colonialism at the UN Headquarters in New York. The Baku Initiative Group, which appears to have links to the Azerbaijani government, held its conference on 20 June. Azerbaijani state news agency Azertag reported that the conference was attended by officials and representatives from territories colonised by France and the Netherlands, including Corsica, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Polyne

France has accused Azerbaijan of supporting rioters against French rule in New Caledonia, a French territory in the South Pacific. The Guardian quoted French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin as saying this was ‘a reality’. ‘I regret that some of the Caledonian pro-independence leaders have made a deal with Azerbaijan. It’s indisputable’, Darmanin said. Azerbaijani media reported that the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) had organised a video conference on Thursday, attended by representativ