After the monument was dismantled, it came to light that France, once revered as the epicenter of art, did not suffice to dismantle the monument but also defaced it with a broken nose.
There is no arguing that France had many achievements in the past, both in culture and art. However, they all remained in the past, and today’s France has nothing in common with the image that was created by it and the foreigners who visited this country for many centuries. Moreover, it has come to the point that the French have declared war on monuments. But not their own, but Azerbaijani ones.
Azerbaijani media, widely covered the vandalism of the French against the monument of the famous Azerbaijani poetess of the XIX century Khurshidbanu Natavan, which was installed in the Azerbaijani Garden as a gift of Azerbaijan to the city of Evian-les-Bains after its twinning with Ismayilli town.
There is no doubt that politics is at the heart of these heinous actions – France has taken upon itself the obligation to protect Armenia (which is not actually threatened by anyone) and openly opposes Azerbaijan. And it acts everywhere – in the South Caucasus, in Europe, in international organizations, and, naturally, on its own territory. The Natavan monument in Evian-les-Bains became a victim of this policy.
Back in January 2024, the Azerbaijani Embassy in France addressed an official letter to the Evian Mayor’s Office saying that after the act of vandalism, the monument could not remain in this city. It was noted in the letter that Azerbaijan wanted to place the monument on the territory of the Cultural Center of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Paris.
However, the mayor’s office delayed a response for almost two months. The note sent to the French Foreign Ministry also remained unanswered. And now, as Caliber.Az has learned today, the vandalized monument to Khurshidbanu Natavan was moved from the French town of Evian-les-Bains to Paris.
On March 4, the monument was dismantled, and on March 6, it was delivered to the Cultural Center at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in France. The monument is planned to be installed in the garden of the Cultural Center.
But the shameful deeds of the French did not end there. After the cover was removed from the monument, it turned out that the vandals smeared it with red paint, broke the nose and fingers of the statue.
Who says that France is the center of world art?
Interestingly, this heinous act against the monument of the Azerbaijani poetess occurred in the city of Paris which hosts the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation or UNESCO, and its mission is to contribute to promoting international collaboration in education, science, and culture. Alas, this is not the case after the Azerbaijani poetess’ monument was disfigured and dismantled by official Paris.
As its statute states “UNESCO’s mission is to contribute to the building of a culture of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. UNESCO works to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures, and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values. It is through this dialogue that the world can achieve global visions of sustainable development encompassing observance of human rights, mutual respect, and the alleviation of poverty, all of which are at the heart of UNESCO’s mission and activities.”
Finally, yet importantly, Director-General of UNESCO is Ms. Audrey Azoulay of France.
Caliber.Az
