Tweet
ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT CUTS TIES WITH HUNGARY OFFICIALS
The China Post
Sept 7 2012
YEREVAN, Armenia -- Armenia's Parliament has terminated all ties with
Hungary's legislators to protest the country's decision to repatriate
an Azerbaijani military officer who murdered an Armenian soldier
in 2004.
The officer, Lt. Ramil Safarov, was sentenced to life for killing the
Armenian while both were attending a NATO course in Hungary. After
being freed, the officer was pardoned upon returning home Friday.
Hours later, Armenia broke diplomatic relations with Hungary.
Armenia's Parliament voted 96-1 on Wednesday night to end ties with
Hungary's Parliament, saying in a statement that Hungarian authorities
"are also responsible" for the pardoning.
Tensions are strong between Armenia and Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan controlled by Armenian troops
and ethnic Armenian forces since 1994. International negotiators said
the pardoning harms peace efforts there.
On Thursday U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon implicitly criticized
Azerbaijan for pardoning and freeing Safarov, despite having promised
Hungary that his life sentence would be enforced. U.N. spokesman
Martin Nesirky expressed Ban's concern in New York. Nesirky quoted
Ban as saying all U.N. members have a responsibility "to adhere to
international standards and principles of rule of law in criminal
cases in order to ensure accountability and fight impunity."
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/europe/2012/09/08/353590/Armenian-Parliament.htm
From: A. Papazian
The China Post
Sept 7 2012
YEREVAN, Armenia -- Armenia's Parliament has terminated all ties with
Hungary's legislators to protest the country's decision to repatriate
an Azerbaijani military officer who murdered an Armenian soldier
in 2004.
The officer, Lt. Ramil Safarov, was sentenced to life for killing the
Armenian while both were attending a NATO course in Hungary. After
being freed, the officer was pardoned upon returning home Friday.
Hours later, Armenia broke diplomatic relations with Hungary.
Armenia's Parliament voted 96-1 on Wednesday night to end ties with
Hungary's Parliament, saying in a statement that Hungarian authorities
"are also responsible" for the pardoning.
Tensions are strong between Armenia and Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan controlled by Armenian troops
and ethnic Armenian forces since 1994. International negotiators said
the pardoning harms peace efforts there.
On Thursday U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon implicitly criticized
Azerbaijan for pardoning and freeing Safarov, despite having promised
Hungary that his life sentence would be enforced. U.N. spokesman
Martin Nesirky expressed Ban's concern in New York. Nesirky quoted
Ban as saying all U.N. members have a responsibility "to adhere to
international standards and principles of rule of law in criminal
cases in order to ensure accountability and fight impunity."
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/europe/2012/09/08/353590/Armenian-Parliament.htm
From: A. Papazian