Azerbaijan House in London commemorates dear memory of 20-January martyrs

A commemorative event dedicated to the occurrences of January 20 was held at the initiative of Ali Tekin Atalar, the founder and head of the Azerbaijan House Culture and Friendship Centre located in London, Azernews reports.

At the opening of the event, the souls of the martyrs were remembered with a minute of silence, and the national anthem of Azerbaijan was played.

Ali Tekin Atalar stressed that the January 20 tragedy paved the road for Azerbaijan's independence and shook the entire Turkic world. He noted that the restoration of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is a great historical event, and in turn, he assessed it as a victory for the entire Turkic world.

Speaking at the event, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Great Britain, Elin Suleymanov, noted that the persistent struggle of the Azerbaijanis for independence played a decisive role in the collapse of the Soviet empire. He said that he was studying in Moscow at that time and was a live witness to National Leader Heydar Aliyev's speech about the events of January 20 at the Azerbaijani delegation. He emphasised that the National Leader's speech once again showed that he is the leader of the people of Azerbaijan, added strength to the power of the people, and increased their confidence towards independence.

The diplomat also pointed out that, for the first time since 1990, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan have been fully ensured. He said that loyalty to the state independence of Azerbaijan and protection of the state independence as the greatest wealth of the people is the main principle of the policy implemented by President Ilham Aliyev. It was noted that the biggest monument erected in memory of the martyrs is today's independent and powerful state of Azerbaijan. He said that Azerbaijanis believe that after many years of injustice, the souls of our martyrs are finally happy.

It was reported that representatives of many nationalities living in Azerbaijan were martyred by Soviet soldiers in 1990 as well. Azerbaijan is the homeland of all its citizens, regardless of their religion and ethnicity. It was emphasised that during the 2020 Patriotic War, all citizens of Azerbaijan united as one fist and liberated the lands from invasion.

At the end of his speech, Elin Suleymanov addressed the representatives of the diaspora and the students participating in the event and urged every Azerbaijani to spare no effort for the further development of the state and the strengthening of independence under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev.

In her speech, Farida Panahova, the chairman of the British Azerbaijan Society, shared her memory about the appeal of the People's Artist of Azerbaijan, Lutfiyar Imanov, to the world Azerbaijanis in London during the events of January 20, 1990.

Georgian-born researcher Tamara Dragadze, who spoke at the event, noted that she was in Azerbaijan during the events of January 20 and closely followed the course of events. She talked about the existence of false ideas about Azerbaijan in the world and stressed that Mikhail Gorbachev, who is known as a "reformer" in the West, was the mastermind of the events of January 20.

During the event, British journalist Neil Watson also shared his impressions of visiting the Alley of Martyrs while in Azerbaijan.

After the processions, Azerbaijani folk music was played, and tributes were paid to the souls of the martyrs.

Another event dedicated to the January 20 tragedy was held at the British European Azerbaijan school operating in London. During the event, the students of the school sang poems dedicated to the history of Azerbaijan and the events of January 20.