France announced today that it had reached a “historic agreement” with the island of New Caledonia. Under the agreement, the overseas territory, which was ravaged by deadly separatist violence last year, will continue to belong to France, but will also be given the status of the State of New Caledonia.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on the social platform X: “The State of New Caledonia within the Republic: This is a bet of trust,” AFP reported. He also praised the “historic” agreement.
Macron also said: “After two agreements and three referendums, New Caledonia will open a new chapter in the future of peaceful relations with France.”
Macron previously called for negotiations to break the deadlock between pro-French and separatist factions in New Caledonia.
New Caledonian elected officials and political, economic and civil leaders recently gathered near Paris to jointly develop the territory’s constitutional framework.
After 10 days of negotiations, all parties agreed to establish the “State of New Caledonia.”
“It’s a wise compromise that preserves the link between France and New Caledonia while giving the Pacific island nation more sovereignty,” said French Overseas Territories Minister Manuel Valls.
Last year’s separatist violence killed 14 people, cost the region an estimated 2 billion euros and reduced gross domestic product by 10 percent.
New Caledonia, with a population of about 270,000 and nearly 17,000 kilometers from Paris, has been under French rule since the 19th century.
