Statement on the Soviet Union from Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Ankara, Mammadov

Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Ankara, Rashad Mammadov, stated that the country decided to fight for its independence following the massacre carried out by the Soviet army in Azerbaijan on January 20, 1990, and said, "This historic day is commemorated every year. We educate the younger generation with this and tell them about it. We were not granted a state just by the collapse of the USSR. We earned this state with our own lives and blood. Today, we are protecting this state with our own blood and lives."

On the day that went down in Azerbaijani history as 'Black January' due to the massacre carried out by the Soviet army in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on January 20, 1990, a commemoration event was organized by the Antalya Azerbaijan Culture and Solidarity Association at the Akdeniz University Atatürk Conference Hall.

The event, which began with the singing of the national anthems of Turkey and Azerbaijan, was attended by Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Ankara, Rashad Mammadov. Mammadov described the events of January 20 and the importance of this day for them.

"HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES"

Stating that the Soviet Union army shot hundreds of people in 1990, Rashad Mammadov said, “Hundreds of people lost their lives, hundreds of people were wounded. After the army of its own state committed this massacre against its own citizens, the Azerbaijan Turks decided that they would no longer live within that state. In 1991, the USSR collapsed and Azerbaijan gained its independence. Azerbaijan went through very difficult periods. 20 percent of its territory was occupied,” he said.

"WE SAVED THIS STATE WITH OUR LIVES AND BLOOD"

Saying that "the path of the Azerbaijani nation to independence begins on January 20," Mammadov continued his speech as follows:

"This historic day is commemorated every year. We educate the younger generation with this and tell them about it. We were not granted a state just by the collapse of the USSR. We earned this state with our own lives and blood. Today, we are protecting this state with our own blood and lives."

Mammadov pointed out that the place where more than 100 people who were martyred on January 20 are buried is the same place as the soldiers who fell in the 1st Nagorno-Karabakh War and the Turks who supported the Caucasus Islamic Army in the liberation of Baku, saying, “This is a very important place for us; we are together in the most important times of history.

Nearly 3 thousand Azerbaijan Turks came to the Gallipoli campaign, fought here, and gave their lives in the war of Turkish lands, Gallipoli, against world imperialism. In 2020, during the 2nd Nagorno-Karabakh War, while liberating Azerbaijani lands from Armenian occupation, the 85 million people of Turkey raised the Azerbaijani flag and stood by us spiritually. We have always been together in difficult days and we will continue to be.”