Baku: On September 16, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Shusha to inspect the bullet-riddled monuments of Azerbaijani figures Natavan, Bulbul, and Uzeyir Hajibeyli. These monuments, which were damaged during the Armenian occupation, hold significant historical value for Azerbaijan.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the UAE President was informed about the Armenians’ intention to transport these statues to Armenia with plans to melt them down. It was only through the intervention of National Leader Heydar Aliyev that the statues were retrieved and returned to Azerbaijan. Initially, they were temporarily stored in the courtyard of the Museum of Art in Baku before being restored to their original locations in Shusha after the city’s liberation.