"The statue of Hasan bey Zardabi looks like the gatekeeper of the restaurant."
Oxu.Az reports that these remarks were made by Anar Rzayev, the chairman of the Writers' Union, at the conference titled "Development Strategy of the Azerbaijani Language as the State Language: Current Situation and Perspectives," organized by the Parliament.
He proposed moving the statue:
"The building of the National Encyclopedia is located in the Inner City. Now, one floor of the building has been turned into a restaurant. A statue of Hasan Bey Zardabi, the founder of our press, was placed in front of the building. Now Zardabi looks like the gatekeeper of the restaurant there. I suggest the statue be moved to the garden of the Pedagogical University. There is a tradition of moving statues. The statues of Natavan and Uzeyir bey have been moved from Baku to Shusha. This would be a gesture of respect to the spirit of Zardabi."
