Abbas Abbasov: French government not interested in recognizing Corsica’s national identity and language
Rome, May 13, AZERTAC
"The people of Corsica are struggling for the recognition of their national identity and the official status of the Corsican language. Unfortunately, the French government refuses to recognize either the national identity or the language of Corsica," said Abbas Abbasov, Executive Director of the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), in an interview during the thematic conference titled “National Identity, Resistance, and Sovereignty: Prospects for Corsica,” held in Rome.
Highlighting the event, co-organized by the BIG and Corsica’s Nazione Movement, Abbas Abbasov emphasized that the conference aims to draw global attention to the issue of Corsican national identity and language, noting that the Corsican people have suffered from French colonial policies and that the Nazione Movement represents their national struggle.
He also noted that this conference marks the 26th international event organized by the Baku Initiative Group to support the global decolonization process.
Speaking about the discussions held during the conference, which brought together leaders of the Nazione Movement and decolonization experts, the BIG Executive Director said: "Sadly, UNESCO now classifies Corsican as a 'definitely endangered language.' The Nazione Movement has been fighting against this outcome for years, as a majority of the population still speaks Corsican. Their goal is to have Corsican identity and language officially recognized as part of the autonomy promised by the French government."
"Unfortunately," Abbasov added, "the French government is not genuinely interested in recognizing either Corsican national identity or its language. French officials often provide contradictory information to the international community. While there have been past statements suggesting Corsica would be granted a degree of sovereignty and autonomy within France, recent developments show that the French side continues to reject recognition of the Corsican language and people."
Nihad Budagov
Special correspondent
Other news in this section
