The Baku Initiative Group (BIG) has strongly condemned the preliminary legislative initiative adopted by the Corsican Assembly concerning the so-called "Artsakh Republic" and Armenian citizens facing criminal prosecution in Azerbaijan, according to a statement released by BIG.
The statement further reads: "This is a one-sided, politically motivated and provocative initiative. It contradicts the fundamental principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of states and echoes the geopolitical narratives advanced by official Paris.
The behavior of those supporting this initiative cannot be evaluated as an independent expression of the Corsican people's political will. By choosing to act as instruments conveying France’s foreign policy agenda, they have turned into political tools—effectively puppets—of Paris, rather than representatives who ought to defend Corsica's national interests, language, culture, and identity.
The hypocrisy of this stance is particularly striking. The very same political circles that vocally speak of the right to self-determination thousands of kilometers away are unwilling to ensure the most basic linguistic and political rights of the Corsican people at home.
According to Article 2 of the French Constitution, French is the sole official language of the Republic. French judicial authorities struck down provisions recognizing Corsican alongside French as a language of debate in the Corsican Assembly and a working language of the Corsican Executive. Furthermore, in June 2025, the French Council of State rejected an appeal lodged by the Corsican authorities against those decisions.
Additionally, although France signed the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 1999, it has yet to ratify it. The Council of Europe explicitly recognizes Corsican as one of the historical regional languages covered by the Charter.
Before adopting initiatives regarding the South Caucasus, these representatives must answer a few questions:
- Why do they remain subordinate to a state that refuses to grant institutional recognition to the Corsican language?
- Why do they fail to oppose the centralizing and assimilation policies pursued by official Paris with the same determination?
- Why do they ignore the ongoing consequences of French policies affecting Corsican identity, education, language and political decision-making while invoking decolonization rhetoric abroad?
BIG makes a clear distinction between the Corsican people and individuals who serve the interests of the French government, choosing political subservience 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 their right to determine their own political future—not representatives who serve as instruments of French foreign policy.
BIG calls on the Corsican Assembly to focus first and foremost on the unresolved rights of the Corsican people.
The Assembly must demand the following from France:
• Full institutional recognition of the Corsican language;
• Guarantees for its unrestricted use in education, public administration and public life;
• Ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages;
• Protection of Corsican national identity and culture;
• Respect for the Corsican people's political will and right to self-determination.
BIG urges the Corsican Assembly to preserve its political and institutional independence and not allow itself to become an instrument of the French state's political agenda. As the representative body of the Corsican people, the Assembly must defend the linguistic, cultural and political rights of the Corsican people, rather than allowing itself to be used to legitimize policies that erode Corsica's identity and aspirations.”
