“The reports recently circulated don’t reflect the reality. As you know, the statue of Khurshidban Natavan has been vandalized. It was doused with red liquid and its nose was broken. The service responsible for this area of the city covered the monument to protect it. We never had any intention of dismantling this statue or getting rid of it. The issue of dismantling the statue has never been a matter of discussion,” Deputy Director on Attractiveness of the mayor’s office of the French city of Evian-les-Bains Christelle Auclere told Fact-info.az.

Asked whether there had been any investigation into the act of vandalism, Christelle Auclere said that she was not in a position to comment, adding that there is no video surveillance system there, which makes it difficult to identify the perpetrators of the vandalism.

In May 2015, a Charter of Friendship and Cooperation was signed in Ismayilli between the city of Ismayilli of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the city of Évian-les-Bains of the French Republic. The purpose of signing the charter at the time was to develop friendly relations between the two cities and contribute to bilateral relations in the fields of culture, tourism and economy. Substantial steps were taken in this regard, including reciprocal visits.

As a continuation of the cooperation, opening ceremonies of the Azerbaijani Garden, the Friendship Spring in a park, and the statue of prominent Azerbaijani poet Khurshidbanu Natavan, were held in the city of Évian in 2017. However, the statue of Khurshidbanu Natavan was vandalized in December of last year.