Independent Azerbaijan...

Another year has passed. Year when nature, economies and politics lived through a lot of turbulence. Years can be different but wishes remain the same: health, peace , love and wealth.

Azerbaijan had a relatively stable year. Today in the new year on 20 January we remember victims of independence. In life very few things are straightforward. One of them is that most of people would wish to be free as much as possible in their decisions. The same is true about Azerbaijanis. You would agree that in life there are very few people that would think about others as much as they would think about themselves. Maybe parents, not of all them either. Nobody is perfect you might say. Exactly. Who would expect empires to be perfect and think about the countries they conquered as much as about their own interests. Probably this never happened.

Historically Azerbaijan was always the target for empires and independence is almost a luxury for our young republic...

In 1990 our family lived in Poland. I remember our conversation with dad when he said that there is a risk that Soviet army would enter Azerbaijan. "Anything can happen" he said "they might close the borders and we might not be able to go back home for awhile. I suggest we go back home now without delay." (I don't think my parents could imagine their life without Sheki). We returned to Baku early January and Soviet troops entered the city on 19 January.

That was it. There was no going back to Soviet regime.

My older son is almost six now and he loves travelling with his parents and grannies and loves travelling back home. He lives in the country where he can travel and live wherever he wants. Probably by the time he grows up it would be hard for him to believe that there could be more restrictions than technicalities to travel and live wherever one chooses...There is only one future for Azerbaijan that he and everyone else will witness and that is independent Azerbaijan.

Today Azerbaijanis mourn for victims and not only of January 1990 but for all who became victims for independence, freedom and well being of their motherland...Let they rest in peace...

My earlier posts on the date can be read here and here.