Baku, January 12, AZERTAC

The residents of the French city of Evian are deeply disappointed with the act of vandalism committed against the statue of prominent Azerbaijani poet Khurshidbanu Natavan unveiled in the city back in 2017. They described the act as unacceptable and inexplicable. One of the outstanding representatives of the 19th century Azerbaijani poetry, Khurshidbanu Natavan, a descendent of Panah Ali Khan, the founder of the Karabakh Khanate, is an author of the “Flower Book" - album of illustrated verses, which was inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World International register list in May 2023.

The Evian residents also shared their impressions on the matter with AZERTAC’s correspondent.

“The act of vandalism against the monuments of cultural heritage is unacceptable. This monument is very beautiful and was a feast for my eyes. Unfortunately, the monument was subjected to vandalism. The perpetrators of this act are insensitive to humanity,” the city resident Chambion Colette said.

A resident, who wished to remain anonymous, emphasized that all the cultural monuments should be preserved and respected by people, regardless of their location. “The cultural heritage monuments are bridges connecting the universal culture and peoples. The cultural heritage monument subjected to vandalism means an act of vandalism committed against our past and our history. This is an unacceptable act,” the resident added.

Evian resident Natalie Maurelle noted: “This is a peaceful place, a leisure spot for people. The act is ridiculous. The monument is a representation of culture. This is culture, not policy. Everyone should understand that.”

Another Evian local described the act of vandalism committed against the statue as a great scandal. “What can such an attitude towards the statue serve for? This is an example of nationalism. The nationalist can commit such an act because of the poet’s foreign origin. Nationalism and racism exist in France, with racism against foreigners exceeding in recent years,” the resident said.

“The act of vandalism against the monument is inadmissible. People should treat the cultural monuments with respect. We cannot understand this act of vandalism against this monument whatsoever. All this raises doubts that those who committed this act are humans. A normal human would not act like that,” the Evian local Rojeb Latfi added.