New Caledonia and French Polynesia have been declared self-governing territories by a UN decision. However, colonial issues still persist there.

Axar.az reports that President Ilham Aliyev made these remarks during his speech at the Summit of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) held within the framework of COP29.

The President highlighted that French Polynesia is facing severe environmental degradation, with numerous nuclear tests conducted by France there, adding that France is responsible for polluting the land and causing harm. "If we consider the 17 nuclear tests conducted in Algeria during the occupation, we can understand how much damage has been inflicted on the planet’s ecosystem," he said.

Touching on the crimes in overseas territories, the Azerbaijani President pointed out recent human rights violations by France, noting that many citizens were killed and wounded by the Macron regime during protests in New Caledonia.