In New Caledonia, they opposed the idea of creating a state within France

Representatives of the Caledonian Union (UC) party, which advocates the independence of New Caledonia, did not support the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron to create a new state within the fifth republic. This was reported on July 23 by the publication Liberation.

"Members of the executive committee of the Caledonian Union, the main component of the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), have announced that they will not support the text [of the agreement] in its current form," the publication says.

The party cited concerns about the deprivation of Caledonian citizenship for residents of the region due to obtaining French citizenship as one of the reasons for this decision. In addition, the draft does not contain a provision on clear international recognition of the new State.

On July 12, France signed an agreement on the establishment of the State of New Caledonia. It is noted that the document will provide New Caledonia with broad autonomy and transfer of powers in the field of international relations to the new state. In addition, a separate citizenship of the country will be introduced.

In 2024, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called on Macron to renounce violence at protests in New Caledonia. She added that at the moment Moscow considers the crisis in New Caledonia as a result of the incomplete process of its decolonization.

The unrest in the region began after the French parliament on May 14 supported a bill that allows French residents living on the islands for 10 years to vote in local elections. The local population fears that this will weaken the importance of their voices.

New Caledonia is a group of islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about 1,500 km east of Australia. The islands have been under French control since 1853. In 1946, New Caledonia was granted the status of an overseas Territory.