BAKU, Azerbaijan,
August 21. Belgian colonial policy in Central
Africa has had profound consequences that are still felt today and,
therefore, acknowledging historical injustices is a necessary
prerequisite for building a more just future, Azerbaijani MP Tural
Ganjaliyev said, Trend’s correspondent reports from the event.
Ganjaliyev made the remarks at an international conference in
Baku on “Belgium’s colonial injustice and 101-year path to
reparations.”
He noted that Belgium’s more than century-long colonial rule in
Central Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Rwanda and Burundi, left lasting consequences, including systematic
economic exploitation, widespread violence, and the destruction of
local societies and institutions. “Recognizing the past is a
necessary condition for building a more just future,” Ganjaliyev
said.
According to him, these historical facts are not a matter of
opinion, but are documented and recognized by numerous researchers,
legal experts and international institutions. “These facts are not
a matter of opinion. They are documented history, recognized by
numerous researchers, legal experts and international
institutions,” he noted.
Furthermore, Ganjaliyev stressed that the discussion should now
focus not on whether historical injustice took place, but on how
the international community, the states concerned and Belgium
itself can move toward its full recognition and concrete
reparations. “This includes such forms of redress as restitution,
compensation and guarantees of non-recurrence,” the MP said.
The MP noted that the Baku conference brought together
representatives of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda,
Burundi, Morocco and South Africa, along with various African
perspectives united by a common call for historical justice.
in addition, Ganjaliyev emphasized the importance of conducting
a historical and legal assessment of Belgium’s colonial period and
discussing concrete legal mechanisms that could pave the way for
reparations.
