BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 8. If this is France,
then it turns out that France is a poor country, President Ilham
Aliyev said during his interview with local TV channels on January 7,
Trend reports.
“To be honest, even I wasn’t very aware of these regions about
ten years ago. However, the recent hurricane and the information
that came to light as a result deeply shocked me. Who would have
thought that in an area considered part of France, 70-75% of the
population lives in poverty? Why should this happen in France? The
President of France goes there and says that without France, you
would live 10,000 times worse. How much worse can it get?
Seventy-five percent living in poverty, 30-40% of housing stock
dilapidated and in hazardous condition. If this is France, then it
turns out that France is a poor country. Keeping that region as a
strategic point, exploiting its natural resources, oppressing its
people, subjecting them to assimilation, and depriving them of
their identity, language, and culture is barbaric. This brings no
honor to any country.
Until recent years, all this was covered up. No one talked about
it, and no one invited people from those regions anywhere. When
justified protests began there, look at how brutally France
suppressed them—13 people were killed, and 1,000 were arrested.
They were taken from there to main areas of France. Therefore, as a
state, we certainly express our position. But our non-governmental
organizations must, of course, continue this work,” President Ilham
Aliyev said.
