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Elnur Enveroglu

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The Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has the second-largest area on the African continent, is located in the central part of the continent with an area of 2,344,458 km². With a rich diversity of vegetation, wildlife, and natural areas, the country also has many underground resources, including oil. Thus, there are large amounts of potassium, iron, and copper deposits, as well as gold, phosphate, magnesium, and bauxite in the country.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, which is extremely interested in expanding its relations with Azerbaijan, is interested in developing cooperation in the economic field as well as in the political field.

These words were said by the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan, during his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev.

“We have abundant water sources and the sun that shines all year round. We can use this potential and your great experience in this field for the development of our agriculture,” the President of the Republic of the Congo said at a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev.

During the meeting, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, mutually expressed to his Congolese counterpart that he is interested in the implementation of cooperation between the two countries in the political sphere, as well as in the trade, energy, and agriculture sectors.

“I do hope that, as a result of the implementation of the agreements reached, a positive dynamic will emerge in our trade after the visit. We have had a wide exchange of views on cooperation in energy and agriculture, and here too, there is no difference of opinion. We look forward to working together on COP29,” the President of Azerbaijan emphasised.

We note with regret that the Democratic Republic of the Congo has long been a victim of French colonisation policy.

For this reason, after the independence of the country, the French language, which was left as a legacy by the colonial state, became the official language of the country.

In addition to French, the constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo states that Lingala and Kituba languages are the languages of national communication within the country.

It should be recalled that on November 21, 2023, when the international conference on "Decolonization: Empowerment and Development of Women" was held in Baku, Azerbaijan voiced the problems of countries suffering from colonialism. At the international conference organized by the Baku Initiative Group, the activities of France were brought to the attention of the world community.

It is no secret that France's ongoing colonial policy not only covers the overseas territories but also extends to Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, and Latin America. France continues to exploit these regions' resources, manipulate their political processes, and maintain military bases, thus hindering their true independence and development. The French armed forces have perpetrated numerous crimes against humanity and have subjected hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians to genocide due to their ethnic and religious affiliation. Millions of people were victims of the French slave policy.

Azerbaijan's support for countries suffering from colonialism is not limited to this. As the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, the Republic of Azerbaijan actively supports people's fighting against colonialism, which is of particular relevance to humanity, and striving for their freedom.

Azerbaijan is extremely interested in the development of political and economic relations with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the interests serve the national interests of the two states, and also guarantee the longevity and stability of the future development of the states.

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Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews’ Deputy Editor-in-Chief; follow him on @ElnurMammadli1

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