BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 3. The decision to demolish Azerbaijani poetess Natavan's statue in Evian demonstrates blind racism, editor-in-chief of the La Gazette du Caucase online newspaper based in Paris, Jean-Michel Brun wrote in his article.

"In support of Armenian separatists, the city of Evian wants to remove the statue of the poetess Natavan. After almost 30 years, the Azerbaijanis have regained the integrity of their territory. An integrity recognized four times in a row by the UN. Driven by a nationalist far right that dreamed of conquest, the Armenian government had for a time expressed its fear of an extension of the conflict, but finally recognized the legitimacy of the Azerbaijani position. Each side has now recognized the sovereignty of the other. Together, they have now entered a phase of rebuilding peace and re-establishing political, economic and cultural relations," reads the article.

Brun notes that in France, however, the rising Right, followed by a few misguided Socialists, seem deaf to this new perspective.

"Excited by the extremists of a diaspora that is more Armenian than the Armenians of Armenia, this political class displays its ignorance of history, and of a country where it has never set foot, by continuing to stubbornly support the spokesmen of an imaginary "Greater Armenia", but driven by a murderous spirit of conquest. The prize for imbecility undoubtedly goes to the city of Evian, which has just covered with a veil the statue of the princess-poetess Natavan, erected in 2017, before promising to dismantle it. A decision that demonstrates that the blind racism of its mayors is equaled only by their ignorance and lack of culture," says the French journalist.

Who was the poetess Natavan?

"Khurshidbanu Natavan is an Azerbaijani poetess famous for her lyrical poems. She was born in Shusha in 1832, the daughter of the last khan of Karabakh, Khan Javanshir, and the granddaughter of Panah Ali Khan, the town's founder.

The French writer Alexander Dumas recounted his meeting with the princess in his story "Voyage au Caucase". Impressed by the extent of her culture, he was surprised to learn that she had read all his writings in French. They struck up a sincere friendship. Dumas played chess with the poetess, and the result of the match was memorable: Natavan defeated Dumas checkmate. She was only 26, and Dumas 56. To reward her for her victory, and as a sign of admiration for her intelligence, Dumas presented Natavan with a bust of Napoleon that he had brought from Paris and an elegant ivory chess set. The gift symbolized the high esteem in which he held the poetess, both for her chess skills and her brilliant personality," reads the article.

Brun points out that this event was immortalized by the painter Chingiz Mehbaliyev in his painting "Jeu d'échecs de Khurshidbanu Natavan et Alexander Dumas".

"Natavan was also a militant for the emancipation of women, and her castle at Shusha, almost entirely destroyed by the Armenian occupiers but currently being restored, was a cultural center where poets, musicians and painters from all over the Caucasus came to demonstrate their excellence. In his "Voyage au Caucase", Alexander Dumas devoted several chapters to Azerbaijan. In particular, he describes the character traits of the people living there: "When you negotiate something with an Azerbaijani, it is not necessary to ask him for a signed document. If he has promised, then it will be done". His observations on the Armenians living in Azerbaijan are much more nuanced: "always despotic, but always of different religions, but always barbaric, with only their whims as rules, only their wills as law. The result is that, seeing that their wealth was a subject of persecution, they concealed their riches; recognizing that a frank word was an imprudent word, and that their ruin depended on this imprudent word, they became taciturn and false"," reads the article.

Brun notes that one wonders how, if he were alive today, Alexander Dumas, the mulatto, would be received by the obtuse elected representatives of the city of Evian.

"No doubt, alas, in the same way he was received in his day. One day, following a lively discussion about Charles Darwin's recent theory of evolution, one of his opponents said to him:

- "By the way, my dear Master, you must know a lot about negroes, don't you?

- "Most certainly," Dumas replied,

"My father was a mulatto, my grandfather was a negro and my great-grandfather was a monkey. You see, sir, my family begins where yours ends".

Will the city go even further? In 1993, Antoine Riboud, the owner of Danone, which manages Evian water, gave his friend, the famous cellist Mstislav Rostropovitch, a magnificent concert hall, which he had built, all in wood, in the Evian park," says Brun.

He notes that Rostropovich was born in Baku, Azerbaijan (a Soviet state at the time).

"Will the city hall decide to demolish the building, which continues to welcome hundreds of musicians and artists to this day? The question is not so incongruous, given that silliness seems as unalterable as platinum. "I know of only two things that are infinite", said Einstein, "the universe and stupidity. And even then, I'm not sure about the universe...". It seems that ignorance is the prerogative of Azerbaijan's ignorant critics. All you have to do is read the comments made by Internet users, who spill the vomit of their insults all over the net. You only have to listen to the Mayor of Paris who, against all odds, continues to support Armenian extremists, and who is now the laughing stock of the internet. An opposition municipal councillor said to her: "King Midas turned everything he touched into gold. You're the opposite: everything you touch turns to lead", the woman who won 1.7% of the presidential elections replied, "I don't really know what you're referring to, I haven't had a car for a long time". She had just confused the legendary king of Phrygia with the Midas car maintenance company.

So read, you poor elected representatives, the works of Khurshidbanu Natavan, the freedom-loving woman, those of Nizami Ganjavi, the precursor of the Age of Enlightenment, or the Book of Dede Gorgud, which speaks of human rights and the freedom of peoples. It's never too late to receive the light," he concludes.