French President Emmanuel Macron hailed on Sunday the outcome of the third independence referendum of New Caledonia, a French overseas territory east of Australia in the South Pacific.

In a press release, Macron said that 96.49 percent of the Caledonians have voted against independence from France.

"Caledonians have chosen to remain French. They decided it freely. For the entire nation, this choice is a source of pride and recognition. Tonight, France is more beautiful because New Caledonia has decided to stay," Macron said.

Under the Noumea Accord (named after New Caledonia's capital) signed in 1998, the French overseas territory was granted the right to three referendums on its future political status.

The first referendum was held in 2018, with 56.7 percent of the voters against independence, and the second in 2020 showed a 53.3 percent of population against independence.