'The rights of the people living in Bonaire are better protected than those of the Azerbaijani people'

On August 22, an international conference titled "The Path of Self-Determination of Bonaire Island at the UN General Assembly through Baku" was held in Azerbaijan, organized by the Baku Initiative Group and the Bonaire Human Rights and Movement for Change. After the discussions, a declaration was adopted as the outcome of the conference. The document emphasizes that the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people of Bonaire, who continue to exist under "colonial conditions," must be ensured in accordance with the requirements of the United Nations (UN) Charter, and the international community must pay attention to the problems of those living in this territory.

Participants from Bonaire at the event also stated that their values are not respected. Moreover, a memorandum was signed between the Baku Initiative Group and political organizations from Bonaire.

Bonaire is a territorial entity of the Netherlands. The island, located 90 km north of the Venezuelan coast in the Caribbean Sea, covers an area of 288 km². According to 2023 statistics, the island has a population of 24,000, with Dutch and Papiamento as the official languages. Europeans first arrived in the area at the end of the 15th century, and the Dutch occupied it in 1633.

Previously, defense measures regarding New Caledonia, which is under French control, were held in Azerbaijan, where issues of freedoms were also brought to the agenda. French officials have concluded that many social media users from Azerbaijan have interfered in these issues during the protests and unrest in New Caledonia this year. It was even revealed that some of them had connections with the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP), although YAP denied this.

The French government had planned to pass a law allowing people who had settled in New Caledonia in the last 10 years to participate in local elections, which led to protests from the local population.

On the other hand, in recent years, Azerbaijan has generally accused Western countries of interfering in its internal affairs. So, could the holding of such events in Baku be considered interference in the internal affairs of these countries?

The conference held in Baku on August 22 was presented to readers by some pro-government media outlets with the headline "Those Who Sought Refuge in Baku from Dutch Oppression."

Fazail Agamali, a Member of Parliament and chairman of the pro-government Motherland Party, told Turan that a new phase has begun in New Caledonia and Bonaire against the ugly forms of colonialism: "This phase is one of struggle for independence, freedom, and sovereignty. I am completely confident that this process will end successfully."

According to Agamali, the global campaign to eliminate the ugly forms of modern colonialism is being led by Azerbaijan and its president: "A few months ago, Ilham Aliyev raised the issue of France's colonial system from major platforms. The highly significant activities carried out in Azerbaijan in this regard have made this issue relevant on a global scale. Today, Azerbaijan is at the forefront of the fight against modern colonialism."

He believes this also demonstrates that the Azerbaijani state gives great importance to universal values: "With this, Azerbaijan contributes to the protection of human rights and freedoms. The president of Azerbaijan not only acts as a guarantor of peace in the region but also undertakes great efforts to expand the Turkic world. At the same time, he is leading the struggle against practices that overshadow global values and suppress human rights, along with his country."

So far, it has not been possible to obtain a response from the official bodies of the Netherlands to these comments. However, Azar Gasimli, head of the Political Management Institute, told Radio Liberty that the rights of people living in New Caledonia and Bonaire are better protected than those of the Azerbaijani people: "The population there lives better than the people of Azerbaijan. This can be compared statistically. Their social and human rights situation is much better."

According to him, a government that seriously violates human rights in its own country cannot talk about freedoms in another country.

Gasimli believes that from the perspective of Azerbaijan's national interests, these events are highly misguided and meaningless: "This has become a toy in the hands of the government, designed to portray itself as stronger within the country and as a global player. All of this is manipulation and serves to undermine human rights, democracy, and global order, playing into the hands of authoritarian forces that want to disrupt the world order."

The political commentator added that Azerbaijan's relationship with France and the Netherlands is currently not good: "Therefore, it seems as though they want to punish them through the New Caledonia and Bonaire issues. But Azerbaijan doesn't have the resources to do so."