On February 18, an imposing statue of prominent Azerbaijani poetess Khurshidbanu Natavan was unveiled in Waterloo, Belgium, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

In his speech at the opening, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Belgium Fuad Isgandarov noted that the realization of this project became possible thanks to support from President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Azerbaijan’s first lady Mehriban Aliyeva.

“Nineteenth-century poetess Khurshidbanu Natavan mostly dedicated her poems to humanism, benevolence, friendship, and love. The unveiling of a statue of Azerbaijani poetess and thinker Khurshidbanu Natavan is a symbolic event. This remarkable event is a new page in relations between Azerbaijan and Belgium,” said the ambassador.

Waterloo city mayor Floran Töter said he is content with cooperating with Azerbaijan and welcomed the raising of the statue of Khurshidbanu Natavan in the center of Waterloo.

It was noted that the erecting of this statue of Khurshidbanu Natavan in the Waterloo city park—a tourist destination in Belgium with an outstanding role in the history of Europe—is important in terms of promoting the history and culture of Azerbaijan. The statue of Khurshidbanu Natavan, born in Shusha, also embodies the history of the Karabakh Khanate. “Modern educationist and poetess of the East, Khurshidbanu Natavan, Princess of Karabakh, Azerbaijan,” words were engraved on the statue's pedestal. The erection with notes on Karabakh in Belgium is a contribution to the works carried out for the preservation and promotion of the realities of Azerbaijan.

The statue erected in the central park of Waterloo was prepared by sculptor Imran Mehdiyev under the direction of Azerbaijani People's Artist Tahir Salahov.