Azernews.Az

By Akbar Mammadov

The monument to Azerbaijani poetess Khurshidbanu Natavan has been vandalized in Belgium, Spokesperson for Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayev told local media on March 10.

Vandalism against the monument of Natavan was committed in the city of Waterloo in Belgium and coincides with Armenian Prime Minister’s visit to Brussels on March 10, and this attracts attention, Abdullayev said.

“A criminal case has been launched in the Belgian city of Waterloo in connection with the vandalism against the statue of an outstanding poetess of our country, the daughter of the Khan of Karabakh Khurshidbanu Natavan. As the statue, erected in 2016, is on the list of historic monuments in the city of Waterloo, the local police is investigating the incident,” Leyla Abdullayeva.

Abdullayeva said that the Azerbaijani Embassy to the Kingdom of Belgium “immediately went to the scene and contacted the local authorities. The matter is under the control of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Belgium and the public will be informed about the results of the investigation.”

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Belgium has also issued a statement about vandalism act against the monument of Khurshidbanu Natavan.

The Coordination Council of the Belgium and Netherlands Azerbaijanis and the Benelux Azerbaijanis Congress (BAC) addressed a letter to the Mayor of Waterloo, Florence Reuter, calling for measures to punish the perpetrators of vandalism.

In response to the letter, Mayor of Waterloo Florence Reuter said that police has launched an investigation into the incident.

Khurshidbanu Natavan, born in Shusha in 1932, wasthe last descendent of Panah Ali Khan who established the Karabakh khanate (1748–1822). Natavan was famous for her lyrical ghazals and was also known to the general public as the "daughter of the Khan".

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Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

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