The decision of the mayor’s office of the French city of Evian-les-Bains to remove all the signs in the city indicating the name of the “Azerbaijan Garden” has angered the Azerbaijani community living in this country.

A statement issued on behalf of the Coordination Council of French Azerbaijanis and sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France, the French Parliament, and the mayor’s office of Evian-les-Bains, deems this action an unacceptable incident and a flagrant violation of the mutual friendship and cooperation charter signed between the Azerbaijani city of Ismayilli and the French city of Evian-les-Bains in 2015. It is pointed out in the statement that according to the said charter, the “Azerbaijani Garden” was inaugurated in this city in 2017 and a statue of the renowned Azerbaijani poetess, Khurshidbanu Natavan, a symbol of the freedom of women of the world, was erected in the park.

Indicating that Azerbaijan and Armenia were already engaged in negotiations on the signing of a peace treaty and the city of Ismayilli had never been the subject of a dispute between the two countries, the Coordination Council notes that the mayor office's decision contradicts Article L. 1115-1 of the General Community Code.