20th january victims remembered abroad - UPDATE

Azerbaijani Embassy to Croatia has held a commemorative event as Azerbaijanis around the world mark the 24th anniversary of Black January tragedy.

Ambassador Kamil Khasiyev opened the ceremony to speak of the history of Bloody January tragedy. He said the 20th of January, 1990 entered into the modern history of Azerbaijan as one of the most tragic days, and at the same time as a heroic page. “That bloody action, incited by Armenians, failed to crush the Azerbaijani people’s will and aspiration to freedom,” said the Ambassador. “The Azerbaijani people gained their independence and freedom for the price of their blood, and they will never give them away,” said the Ambassador.

The participants watched a live broadcast from the Alley of Martyrs in Baku where people were paying tribute to the victims of the bloody tragedy.

The flag of Azerbaijan at the Embassy flew at half-staff throughout January 20.

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The Azerbaijani Embassy to Libya has held a commemorative ceremony on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of the 20 January tragedy.

Speaking to the event, Ambassador Agasalim Shukurov told of the causes and perpetrators of the Black January massacre. He noted that the event is a heroism page in the history of Azerbaijan and has become the symbol of the people`s strong will. He hailed national leader Heydar Aliyev`s initiative to give a political and legal assessment of the tragedy.

Shukurov pointed out that this policy is today successfully continued by President Ilham Aliyev.
He said Azerbaijan is developing in all fields with its international positions strengthening. The ambassador provided an insight into the efforts of the Azerbaijani leadership to peacefully solve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The press-releases of the embassy were sent to the Libyan General National Congress, Foreign Ministry and International Cooperation Ministry. The press-releases along with the Arabic version of the IRS magazine were also sent to the diplomatic missions, Libyan and Tadamun news agencies, Tripoli Center for Strategic Studies and Libya Archive and Center for Libyan Archives and Historical Studies, cultural centers of Egypt, Tunis and Palestine.

Libyan leading media outlets provided coverage of the 20 January tragedy ceremonies. Libyan citizen Zeid Hamza made a telephone call to Hamzah Bufaris, former minister for Endowments and Religious affairs in the Libya Transition Government, to brief him on the Black January tragedy during the Islam and Life religious program on local Al-Wataniyya channel.

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20.01.2014
13:44
Azerbaijan`s Embassy to Saudi Arabia has hosted an event commemorating the 24th anniversary of the Black January events.

The event started with a moment of silence for the victims of the tragedy.

Opening the ceremony, Ambassador Rasim Rzayev highlighted the events that happened on January 20, 1990 when the Soviet troops stormed Baku to commit a massacre against civilian Azerbaijanis, who took to the streets for their independence and territorial integrity. He called the tragedy one of the bloodiest crimes of the Soviet empire against its citizens. The Ambassador drew the participants`s attention to the fact that the Soviet troops had used internationally prohibited weapons in Baku, and slaughtered women, children and the elderly.
He said Azerbaijan’s great son Heydar Aliyev, who then lived in Moscow, came to Azerbaijan’s permanent representative office - a day after the tragedy – and strongly condemned those who committed the January massacre.

The Ambassador also spoke of the Azerbaijani government`s attention to families of those who
had been killed in the tragic events.

The ceremony featured demonstration of “The Path to Independence” documentary, and the participants then viewed a photo exhibition and a special edition of IRS magazine on the tragedy.

The Embassy sent a press release as well as an appeal by the Azerbaijani Commissioner for Human Rights to Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, diplomatic missions in Riyadh, and Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

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Azerbaijan`s Consulate General in Kars has arranged a commemorative ceremony on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of the Black January events.

The ceremony, attended by leadership of Kars, staff members of the Azerbaijani diplomatic representation in the city, as well as local public figures, began with a minute`s silence.

Opening the event, Azerbaijan`s Consul General Aykhan Suleymanov highlighted the country`s path to independence as well as the events that led to the January 20 tragedy. He said the Soviet Army’s bloody invasion of Baku was a vast violation of the constitutions of the former USSR and the Azerbaijan Soviet Republic. The Consul General said national leader Heydar Aliyev once again demonstrated his courage and bravery and his devotion to his people, when he appeared at Azerbaijan`s Moscow representative office to condemn the violence and urge punishment for those who had committed the crime.

Kars Municipality chairman Nevzat Bozkus and professor at Kars Caucasus University Hacali Necefoglu spoke of the struggle of the Azerbaijani and Anatolian Turks against the Armenian gangsters throughout history.

The event ended with demonstration of a documentary on the Black January.

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Azerbaijan`s Embassy to Kuwait has arranged a series of commemorative events on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of the Black January tragedy. A round table meeting, organized at the Embassy, was attended by Kuwaiti teachers, scholars and young intellectuals. The participants watched a documentary about the Soviet army`s atrocities in Baku and other cities of Azerbaijan. The event provided an insight into the events that led to and followed the tragedy, including national leader Heydar Aliyev's coming to Azerbaijani representation in Moscow immediately after the massacre where he strongly condemned the perpetuators of the crime and demanded their punishment.

Arab language “Bloody January tragedy” photo books and CDs were distributed among the participants.

The Embassy also hosted a commemorative evening, which was attended by Azerbaijanis living and working in Kuwait. The participants watched a documentary and viewed a photo exhibition on the Black January.

Local Al Wasat newspaper published an article about the January 20 tragedy written by Kuwaiti teacher Abdullah Al-Rashid.


/AzerTAc/