The Government of the Federal District of Mexico City began during the early hours of Saturday work to relocate the statue of former leader of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev.

About 400 riot police cordoned off the vicinity of Friendship Park on Paseo de la Reforma, Noticieros Televisa reported.

The place where the bronze statue will be permanently relocated is still unknown.

The monument was placed in a park the center of Mexico City last summer. Azerbaijani side reportedly spent about five millions for renovation of the park.

As reported earlier, Mexico City’s municipality set up a commission to consider the issue of removing a monument to Heydar Aliyev which aroused indignation of capital’s residents.

Commission recommended the government to transfer the monument to another place. In response Azerbaijan warned to stop investments in Mexico.

On January 22 the municipality announced it would relocate the monument. They also decided to change the text on the plaque of the Khojalu memorial removing the word “genocide.”