Final Statement Adopted At International Conference Dedicated To Mayotte Island Held In Baku

(MENAFN- AzerNews) A statement was accepted on the conclusions of the international conference on "Illegal Occupation of Mayotte Island of the Comoros Union by France" held in Baku at the initiative of the Baku Initiative Group.

Azernews presents the statement: "As participants of the conference, we express our sincere thanks to the Baku Initiative Group for organizing the event, and to the people of Azerbaijan for their kind and friendly hospitality.

The event dedicated to the French-occupied island of Mayotte allowed all interested parties to exchange views on the colonial policy of the French government.

Historical Context:

On July 6, 1975, the Comoro Islands declared their independence. Before that, in 1974, a referendum was held in the entire territory of the Comoro Islands (including Mayotte), which strongly supported the independence of Gamar.

New Gamar State On November 12, 1975, with the resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations No. 3385 (XXX), confirming the necessity of respecting the unity and territorial integrity of the Comoro State consisting of the islands of Anjouan, Grand Comor, Mayotte and Moheli, the UN- was accepted unanimously.

In 1974, despite the will of the people of Comoro, France insisted on holding another vote for Mayotte and in 1976 held an illegal referendum on the island, contrary to resolution 3385 (XXX). This issue was brought to the attention of the UN Security Council by the head of the State of Comoro, and on February 6, 1976, the Security Council adopted a draft resolution "holding such a referendum is an interference in the internal affairs of Comoro" and "requesting France to abandon the referendum in Mayotte" (S/11967). gathered to review. France vetoed the draft resolution and continued its colonial policy. As a result, Mayotte was occupied by France.

The strategy of the French government to invalidate the legal claims of the Gambian State regarding the illegal occupation of the island of Mayotte by France, in other words, the deliberate Frenchization of Mayotte:

- Appointing management staff of French origin to companies in Mayotte;

- Significant development of basic infrastructure in Mayotte in record time after more than half a century of inactivity;

- Application of French legislation in citizenship, religion, land ownership and other areas;

- Mayotte island of Comoro, which caused multifaceted social consequences and completed the robbery, became a department of France;

- Mass migration of the French to Mayotte. However, paradoxically, the inhabitants of the island of Mayotte are encouraged to migrate to Reunion and France;

- Exercising unbearable pressure for acceptance of the actual occupation of Comoro's Mayotte Island by the State of Comoro;

From this point of view, cooperation swings like a baton on Comoro:

. In the framework of regional cooperation, Mayotte should be treated as a Reunion at any cost;

. The acceptance of Comorians from an independent part of Gamar as immigrants in Mayotte;

. Criminal visa protection introduced by French Prime Minister Edouard Balladur, etc.

- Conducting an international communication campaign through publications (geographic map, official diaries, etc.) that completely ignore the fact that Mayotte is the island of Gamar, on the one hand, and on the other hand, change the essence of the principle of "the right of self-determination of peoples" and generally do not follow the principle of inviolability of borders;

- Making attempts to strengthen Mayotte's French status by signing intergovernmental agreements;

- Placement of Mayotte department representatives (of Qamar descent) with "diplomatic" status in embassies in Africa in order to allow France to be represented in regional institutions: Indian Ocean Commission, SADEC, COMESA, EASF, EAC, and others.

The above is not the final list!

The reaction of the international community:

The United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the African Union have clearly and unequivocally condemned France's presence in Mayotte with numerous resolutions that strongly emphasize the violation of the national unity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of the Gambian Union.

In connection with the above,

- We commemorate the 30,000 people who died as a result of crossing the sea in Kwassa-kwassa and express our condolences to all the families who lost their loved ones. "The world's largest sea cemetery" is the result of the "Balladur criminal visa".

- We express our respect to all the brothers and sisters in Mayotte who are resisting the policy of loss of cultural heritage implemented by France in Mayotte while protecting their national identity and culture.

- We strongly condemn once again the implementation of the operation called "WUAMBUSHU" on the island of Comoro Mayotte. Deportees are residents of their ancestral lands.

- We condemn France's colonialism on Mayotte Island, and we call on all regional and sub-regional organizations, and patriotic sovereign Pan-African movements to strongly condemn French colonial policy.

- We demand that the French government respect the sovereignty of the Gambian Union and immediately release the island of Mayotte, which is an integral part of it.

- We call on the Secretary General of the United Nations, the President of the African Union, the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Secretary General of the Arab League, the Chairman of the European Union Commission, and the Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement to organize an international conference on Mayotte Island. In order to end the illegal occupation of Mayotte by France, we call for the resumption of the activities of the 7th Committee of the African Union and the creation of groups of friends of Comoro within the other organizations mentioned above.

MENAFN03092024000195011045ID1108632314