Hungary’s references to Baku’s Safarov promises non-persuasive, ex-envoy says

September 4, 2012 - 14:07 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Prior to the transfer of Azeri assassin Ramil Safarov to Azerbaijan, Hungarian government should have initiated consultations between Armenian and Hungarian foreign ministries, Ukraine’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia believes.

As ex-envoy Alexander Bozhko said in an interview with Analitika.at.ua, “Armenia’s reaction would have been easy to guess, even if Azeri president Aliyev weren’t to pardon the murderer.”

“Such consultations are a universal diplomacy rule, often resorted to by friendly countries striving to retain good relations. This is why Hungarian Foreign Ministry’s references to Azeri statements suggesting readiness to fulfill international conventions signed look non-persuasive, if not strange,” Bozhko said.

Ramil Safarov, the Azerbaijani army officer who was serving a life sentence in Hungary for axing to death Armenian Lt. Gurgen Margaryan, was extradited to Azerbaijan and pardoned by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Official Yerevan reacted by suspending diplomatic ties with Hungary.

Gurgen Margaryan

On February 19, 2004, Lieutenant of the Armenian Armed Forces Gurgen Margaryan, 26, was hacked to death, while asleep, by a fellow Azerbaijani participant, lieutenant Ramil Safarov, in Budapest during a three-month English language course in the framework of Partnership for Peace NATO-sponsored program. In accordance with Budapest District Court sentence dated April 13, 2006, Ramil Safarov was life imprisoned for murdering the Armenian officer.

On February 22, 2007, Budapest Court rejected the Azerbaijani military officer's appeal against a life sentence. The appeal court ruled that the decision brought by Budapest District Court against 30-year-old Lieutenant Ramil Safarov, should stand.

On August 31, 2012, Hungary extradited Safarov back to Azerbaijan, where he was promptly pardoned by President Ilham Aliyev.