Azerbaijan, Baku, 19 January / Trend corr. К.Ramazanova / Joe Wilson, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States, said that we who believe in the tenets of freedom and the hope of democracy should recognize the incredible sacrifice made by the people of Azerbaijan and by free people all around the world on the 18th anniversary of this terrible tragedy.
"The 20th January is an historic and tragedy day in the history of Azerbaijan," Wilson said.
The night from 19 to 20 January of 1990 the Soviet Army without declaring emergency situation launched a military operation against Azerbaijan. As a result of the tragedy, 131 people have been killed, 117 out of them are Azerbaijanis, 6 Russians, 3 Jews, 2 Tatars. 744 people were injured, 4 missing, 400 people were arrested. After the emergency situation was declared 21 more people were killed. 26 people were killed in the regions (Neftchala, Lenkeran).
In the wake of this horrific act and inspired by the strength of the Azerbaijani people's belief in the principles of democracy, the Republic of Azerbaijan has maintained its independence for over 16 years, despite lingering economic and social problems from the Soviet era. Today, Azerbaijan has developed into a thriving country with double digit growth, in large part due to a freely elected president and parliament, free market reforms led by the energy sector, and most importantly, no foreign troops on its soil.
One of the relevant facts is there is not foreign troops on the territory of Azerbaijan.