Three overseas MPs are calling for sanctions against Azerbaijan

Three members of parliament from France's overseas territories have asked the government to toughen its response to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's statements regarding these territories. In a letter addressed to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, Nicolas Metzdorf (New Caledonia), Moerani Frébault, and Nicole Sanquer (French Polynesia) denounce this as yet another instance of Baku interfering in French affairs and demand a firmer diplomatic reaction.

The elected officials are calling for the summoning of the Azerbaijani ambassador to France and for economic sanctions. They accuse the Azerbaijani president of referring to the overseas territories as French colonies and of supporting independence movements, particularly through the Baku Initiative Group, created in 2024.

Elected officials denounce Baku's growing influence

Nicole Sanquer believes that Ilham Aliyev's statements regarding nuclear testing in French Polynesia constitute interference in relations between the French state and its overseas territories. The members of parliament also regret that previous inquiries into the government's position have not, in their view, elicited a sufficiently firm response.

Parliamentarians are concerned about the influence Azerbaijan could exert on independence movements in New Caledonia and French Polynesia. According to Nicolas Metzdorf, Paris's lack of response risks encouraging these demands and weakening the populations committed to maintaining their territories within the French Republic.