Vandalism! - Tashkent reacted to the destruction of Navoi's statue in Afghanistan

Uzbekistan called the destruction of the statue of the great poet and thinker Alisher Navoi in the Afghan city of Mazari Sharif, vandalism. This was reported in the statement of Ahror Burkhanov, Press Secretary of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.  It was also announced on Twitter.

"We received with sadness the news that the monuments of our great poet Alisher Navoi were damaged in Afghanistan.  Our diplomats contacted representatives of Afghanistan regarding this issue.  They stated that this vandalism does not reflect the official policy of the interim government, which is in favor of strengthening the centuries-old friendly relations with brotherly Uzbekistan and is the result of an arbitrary and thoughtless act of unknown persons. This has damaged our common historical and cultural heritage and the representatives of Afghanistan announced that they will take measures to restore the monuments and treat our common heritage with respect," wrote Burkhanov.

The official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, relying on the representatives of Afghanistan, said that the statue of Navoi was destroyed by foreigners.  However, according to Independentpersian.com, this is the work of the Taliban, and the group is treating the statues in the country with anti-pagan ideas.

"As a continuation of the Taliban's long-standing enmity with historical and cultural symbols in Afghanistan, on 7 February in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, the statue of the famous politician, poet, and scientist of the Timurid era, Mir Alisher Navoi, was destroyed," the publication wrote.