Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan.21 / Trend News, A.Akhundov /

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Belgium held an event on the twentieth anniversary of the Jan. 20 tragedy, the embassy told Trend News.

The event was opened with a minute of silence in memory of those who died during the tragic events in January 1990.

Addressing the meeting, Ambassador Emin Eyubov spoke about the Jan. 20 events and stressed that they will live forever in the memory of the country.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to NATO Kamil Khasiyev then addressed the audience at the event. He said Jan. 20 is not only a tragic date, but also a date of the Azerbaijani people's heroism.

The Soviet Army commenced military operations against Azerbaijan early morning Jan. 20, 1990 before declaring a state of emergency. The tragedy claimed the lives of 137 people. Some 744 people were severely injured. About 841 people were illegally arrested. The Soviet troops destroyed 200 flats and houses, including ambulances, personal and state property.