Presidents Aliyev and Berdimuhamedov view bullet-damaged busts of prominent Azerbaijani figures in Shusha
On 23 June, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, viewed the bullet-damaged busts of prominent Azerbaijani figures Khurshidbanu Natavan, Bulbul, and Uzeyir Hajibeyli in Shusha.
The Turkmen president was informed that the busts had been subjected to acts of vandalism during the occupation, removed to Armenia, and were reportedly intended to be melted down as scrap metal.
The monuments were ultimately rescued and returned to Azerbaijan through the intervention of the National Leader, Heydar Aliyev.
The busts were kept for a period in the courtyard of the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art in Baku before being returned to their original locations following the liberation of Shusha.
