The 20th of January is one of the saddest days in the history of the Azerbaijani peoples. Yesterday a meeting in the Azerbaijani embassy in Moscow was devoted to these tragic events.
Chairman of the Azerbaijani culture society Ochag, Tophik Melikov
The pain hasn’t diminished 22 years after. The pain is caused by the injustice shown towards their own people. Patience sometimes ends. People showed that in the moment of need they can resist. From this point of view, January 20th has the greatest historical importance – the consolidation of the nation, understanding that further common life in one country is impossible. A million people went to bid final farewell to the heroes of January 20th. Moscow Azerbaijanis were full of courage to respond to the events that happened in Azerbaijan. A tough information blockade took place in those days. Our media lied to the people and the international community. Moscow Azerbaijanis formed their organizing committee and over the course of 12 days held 3-4 press conferences daily to tell truth about the events in Baku. A group of French journalists managed to get to Azerbaijan. We showed that at the right moment we are able to consolidate and resist. We criticized Gorbachev’s decisions. We addressed to the UN, held demonstrations and protests.
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia, Polad Byul-Byul Ogly
We do not identify the Soviet state and its authorities with contemporary Russia and its people. What happened in Baku was the greatest political mistake by Mikhail Gorbachev and his team. We lived in one country, tanks and armaments were directed at residents of their own country. We cannot understand it in the current world. On January 21st, 1990, the outstanding politician of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, came to the current building of the Azerbaijani embassy and stated to the world that repressions against the Azerbaijani peoples were taking place. He gave a political appraisal of the fact, when few people had even realized what had happened in the country. Heydar Aliyev was first to define January 20th as a point of no return. Our generation has seen how a great country collapsed, but it was doomed to collapse because of its ideology. I should admit that among the 15 republics of the Union, most of all blood was spilled in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijanis paid the highest price for their independence. The Azerbaijani people will always remember those who gave their lives for our freedom. We must meet, talk about them and remember them, for future generations to know their history and understand the problems and tragedies that the Azerbaijani nation had to go through.
