The Baku Initiative Group has issued a statement condemning the Corsican Assembly's adoption of a preliminary legislative initiative concerning the so-called "Republic of Artsakh" and Armenian citizens prosecuted in the Republic of Azerbaijan, APA reports.
The statement reads:
"The Baku Initiative Group strongly condemns the adoption by the Corsican Assembly of Motion concerning the so-called “Republic of Artsakh” and Armenian citizens prosecuted in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
This resolution is a one-sided, provocative and politically motivated initiative that reproduces the geopolitical narratives promoted by official Paris while disregarding the fundamental principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference.
The conduct of those who supported this motion cannot be regarded as an independent expression of the political will of the Corsican people.
By acting as transmitters of France’s foreign-policy agenda, they have chosen to behave as political instruments – effectively, as marionettes of Paris – rather than as representatives entrusted with defending the national interests, language, culture and identity of Corsica.
The hypocrisy of this position is particularly striking.
The same political establishment that speaks loudly about self-determination thousands of kilometres away remains unable or unwilling to secure the elementary linguistic and political rights of the Corsican people in Corsica itself.
Under Article 2 of the French Constitution, French remains the sole language of the Republic. French judicial authorities annulled provisions that would have recognised both 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 admit the Corsican authorities’ appeal against those decisions.
Moreover, although France signed the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 1999, it has still not ratified it. The Council of Europe expressly identifies Corsican as one of the historical regional languages that would be covered by the Charter.
Before adopting declarations concerning the South Caucasus, these elected officials should answer several questions:
Why do they remain subordinate to a state that denies the Corsican language equal institutional status?
Why do they not demonstrate the same determination in confronting the centralising and assimilationist policies imposed by Paris?
Why do they invoke the language of decolonisation abroad while avoiding the continuing consequences of French domination over Corsican identity, education, language and political decision-making?
The Baku Initiative Group distinguishes clearly between the Corsican people and those serving the interests of the French government who have chosen political obedience to Paris over the defence of Corsican national interests.
The Corsican people deserve representatives who protect the Corsican language, preserve Corsican culture and consistently defend the Corsican people's right to determine their own political future – not representatives who serve as convenient instruments of French foreign policy.
The Baku Initiative Group calls upon the Corsican Assembly to direct its attention towards the unresolved rights of the Corsican people.
It 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; and
genuine respect for the political will and right to self-determination of the Corsican people.
The Baku Initiative Group calls on the Corsican Assembly to preserve its political and institutional independence and to resist being reduced to an instrument for advancing the French state's national agenda. As the representative body of the Corsican people, the Assembly must act in defence of their linguistic, cultural and political rights, rather than allow itself to be used to legitimize policies that undermine Corsican identity and aspirations."
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