France’s Ecology Minister withdrew Agnes Pannier-Runacher from the COP29 climate discussions in Azerbaijan on Wednesday after the host country’s leader accused France of colonial “crimes” in New Caledonia, marking the latest diplomatic tension between the two nations.
President Ilham Aliyev, who is presiding over the COP29 UN climate conference in Baku, received enthusiastic applause from some delegates from Pacific Island countries after delivering a combative address in which he criticised Paris for the violent protests that swept through the Pacific archipelago governed by France in May.
“The misdeeds of France in its so-called overseas territories wouldn’t be complete without addressing the recent human rights abuses,” stated Aliyev.
“The administration of President (Emmanuel) Macron killed 13 individuals and injured 169… during legitimate protests by the Kanak people in New Caledonia,” he continued.
Pannier-Runacher quickly responded, informing lawmakers in Paris that she was cancelling her attendance at the talks in response to Aliyev’s “deplorable” remarks. She labelled his criticism as “unacceptable and beneath the dignity of the presidency of the COP.”
She added that it was a “blatant breach of the code of conduct” expected during United Nations climate negotiations.
The minister condemned Aliyev’s “similarly unacceptable comments on fossil fuels,” after he referred to his nation’s substantial oil and gas resources as a “gift of God.”
Despite her decision to withdraw, Pannier-Runacher stressed that the French negotiating team in Baku would persist in their mission “to safeguard the planet and its populations” from climate change.
Ties between Paris and Baku have been notably strained due to France’s long-standing support for Armenia, Azerbaijan’s historical adversary, which was defeated in a rapid offensive last year when it regained control of the breakaway Armenian-majority region of Nagorno-Karabakh, causing an exodus of over 100,000 Armenians.
This year, Paris accused Azerbaijan of meddling in its internal affairs by inflaming tensions within its overseas territories and dependencies, including the Pacific territory of New Caledonia.
Azerbaijan refutes these claims of interference, but on Wednesday, Aliyev lashed out at France for keeping Corsica and its distant overseas territories “under colonial oppression.”
In anticipation of the climate summit, Azerbaijan was widely criticized for its human rights practices and suppression of political opposition.
However, Aliyev retaliated against the European Union and the Council of Europe human rights organisation, labelling them as “emblems of political corruption that share responsibility with President Macron’s government for the deaths of innocent individuals.”
