On December 3, 2023, the Front de libération nationale kanak et socialiste (FLNKS) organized a demonstration against the visit of Sébastien Lecornu, the French Minister of Defense. The Azerbaijani state news agency Azertag dispatched two “journalists”.
Since 2019, Azerbaijan has embarked on a new strategy: co-opting pro-independence movements in France, as part of its presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement (until January 2024). The aim is twofold: to give himself the image of an anti-colonial nation, a few months after emptying Artsakh of its inhabitants, and to destabilize France, which has positioned itself against him. To this end, Ilham Aliyev created the Center for the Analysis of International Relations by decree in 2019, appointing former Azerbaijani diplomat Farid Shafiyev as its director. Its aim is to promote Azerbaijan's diplomacy through publications and events.
On July 6, 2023, the Center for the Analysis of International Relations is organizing the formation meeting of the Baku Initiative Group (BIG). It will be headed by Abbas Abbasov, former senior executive of the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The GIB brings together pro-independence groups in France such as FLNKS, Parti pour l'Indépendance de la Polynésie française, Africa Mundus, Union du Peuple pour la Libération de la Guadeloupe and Parti pour la Libération de la Martinique.
It was against this backdrop that, after organizing conferences and events in New York and Geneva, GIB set out to cover the demonstrations in New Caledonia. On December 3, however, the two Azertag “journalists” were intercepted by the French secret services.
The first is known to French intelligence services for her close links with the Azerbaijani secret services, but is authorized to enter. The second “journalist” was sent back to Singapore. Azertag denounces France's censorship of its “journalists”.
One of the two “journalists” turned out to be Shahla Aghalarova. On December 13, 2023, she posted a photo on Facebook, without any description, of Nouméa airport. On her LinkedIn page, she states that she has been working for the Azertag news agency since 2010.
Azertag accuses France of censoring its journalists. However, it is clear that the self-proclaimed journalist Shahla Aghalarova is not who she claims to be. She is a regular columnist for events organized in France by the Azerbaijani Embassy and the Azerbaijan Cultural Center. Her articles praise these events and some of the participating personalities.
Shahla Aghalarova not only appears close to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his wife, Mehriban Aliyeva, but also most recently, on November 21, 2023, with Ambassador Leyla Abdullayeva, with whom she poses for the embassy's communication. According to her online CV, she acted as interpreter for Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande during their official visits to Azerbaijan.
Last but not least, Shahla Aghalarova is one of the founders of the Lyon-based Azerbaijani lobbying association Dialogue France-Azerbaïdjan, chaired by Günel Safarova.
In France, Shahla Aghalarova is undoubtedly the so-called Azertag journalist, close to the Azerbaijani secret services. This shows how the Aliyev dictatorship uses the press to achieve its goals of destabilization and influence.
