BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 3. The Baku Initiative Group strongly condemns the adoption by the Corsican Assembly of a legislative initiative concerning the so-called "Republic of Artsakh" and Armenian citizens prosecuted in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
This was reflected in a statement issued by the Baku Initiative Group.
The Group described the initiative as a one-sided, provocative and politically motivated move that contradicts fundamental principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs, while repeating geopolitical narratives promoted by official Paris.
"The conduct of those supporting this initiative cannot be regarded as an independent expression of the political will of the Corsican people. By choosing to act as transmitters of France's foreign policy agenda, they have turned into political instruments of Paris - effectively, its marionettes - rather than representatives who should defend Corsica's national interests, language, culture and identity.
The hypocrisy of this position is particularly striking. The same political circles that loudly speak about the right to self-determination thousands of kilometres away refuse to ensure even the most basic linguistic and political rights of the Corsican people in Corsica itself," the statement said.
The Baku Initiative Group noted that under Article 2 of the French Constitution, French remains the only official language of the Republic. It added that French judicial authorities annulled provisions recognizing Corsican and French as languages of debate in the Corsican Assembly and as working languages of the Corsican Executive. In June 2025, the French Council of State refused to consider the Corsican authorities' appeal against those decisions.
The Group also stressed that although France signed the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 1999, it has not ratified the document to date.
"The Council of Europe expressly recognizes Corsican as one of the historical regional languages covered by the Charter.
Before adopting initiatives concerning the South Caucasus, these representatives should answer several questions:
Why do they remain subordinate to a state that refuses to grant the Corsican language equal institutional status?
Why do they not show the same determination in opposing the centralizing and deliberate assimilation policies carried out by Paris?
Why do they use the language of decolonization abroad while ignoring the continuing consequences of French domination over Corsican identity, education, language and political decision-making?" the statement said.
The Baku Initiative Group stressed that it clearly distinguishes between the Corsican people and individuals who serve the interests of the French government and choose political obedience to Paris instead of defending Corsica’s national interests.
"The Corsican people deserve representatives who protect the Corsican language, preserve Corsican culture and consistently defend the right of the people to determine their own political future - not representatives who have become instruments of French foreign policy," the statement said.
The Group called on the Corsican Assembly to focus primarily on the unresolved rights of the Corsican people.
It stated that the Assembly should demand from France: full institutional recognition of the Corsican language; guarantees for its unrestricted use in education, administration and public life; ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages; protection of Corsican national identity and culture; genuine respect for the political will and right to self-determination of the Corsican people.
The Baku Initiative Group also called on the Corsican Assembly to preserve its political and institutional independence and prevent itself from becoming an instrument for advancing the French state’s national agenda. "As the representative body of the Corsican people, the Assembly must defend their linguistic, cultural and political rights and must not allow itself to be used to legitimize policies that undermine Corsican identity and aspirations," the statement concluded.
