The minister for culture Eric Thill gives a new answer to the parliamentary question and further details regarding the case of Alborz Teymoorzadeh.

The Iranian artist’s chance to receive a residency permit was never linked to the condition that he would be granted a studio by the culture ministry or a residence to work in Bourglinster. Eric Thill stated this in his response to a parliamentary question posed by the Green Party. 

The fact that Alborz Teymoorzadeh was not able to prolong his residency permit and that he was sent back to Iran, has sparked a lot of controversy in the cultural sphere in Luxembourg. The justification that the artist's work "did not add any economic value" to the country drew the most criticism.

Eric Thill reiterated in his response to the new parliamentary question that the Ministry of Culture's services were not involved in the decision. The employees of his ministry had only asked the immigration office whether the man had a valid residence permit in order to rent a studio in Bourglinster. This was a requirement for completing the file and a prerequisite for signing a contract between the artist and the government. Since M. Teymoorzadeh was not in possession of the necessary paperwork, the studio was rented to a different artist.