Paris, May 11, AZERTAC

The statue of prominent Azerbaijani poetess Khurshudbanu Natavan, one of the outstanding representatives of the 19th century Azerbaijani poetry, a descendent of Panah Ali Khan, the founder of the Karabakh Khanate, was re-erected in the courtyard of the Cultural Center of the Azerbaijani Embassy in France.

The unveiling ceremony of the statue, brought from French city of Evian-les-Bains, was held as part of the 101st anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

Addressing the ceremony, Azerbaijani Ambassador to France and the Principality of Monaco Leyla Abdullayeva highlighted the history of the monument, saying that the re-erecting of the statue of the Azerbaijani poetess Khurshudbanu Natavan on such a historic day is of symbolic importance.

She noted that under a charter on friendship and cooperation signed between French Evian-les-Bains and Azerbaijan’s Ismayilli towns, the official opening ceremony of the Azerbaijani park held on the bank of the lake of Leman, in the city of Evian-les-Bains. “Simultaneously, Azerbaijan’s Ismayilli city presented the statue of Khurshudbanu Natavan as a gift to the city of Évian-les-Bains. The monument was unveiled in the Azerbaijani Park back in 2017. However, the statue of Khurshidbanu Natavan was vandalized by radical forces in December of last year. Evian-les-Bains City Hall's prejudiced position continued for several months, and no steps were taken to restore and clean the monument. Also, because the mayor's office did not guarantee that the act of vandalism against the monument would not be repeated in the future, the Azerbaijani side took that monument back. The statue, which was cleaned and restored in a short time, was re-erected in the courtyard of the Cultural Center of the Azerbaijani Embassy, located next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris,” Abdullayeva added.

The event then featured performance by Azerbaijani opera singer Timur Abdikeyev, who resides in France.