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ALIYEV FACES GROWING CRITICISM FOR PARDON
Radio Free Europe
Sept 3 2012
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev faces growing international
criticism for pardoning an Azerbaijani army officer who was sentenced
to life in prison for the 2004 ax murder of an Armenian military
officer.
Ramil Safarov was sentenced in 2006 by a Budapest court after
confessing to the murder of Armenian Army Lieutenant Gurgen Margarian
while the two were attending a language course organized by NATO's
Partnership for Peace program.
Margarian was killed in his dormitory room in Budapest while he
was sleeping. A postmortem examination later concluded that Safarov
smashed Margarian's face with an ax 16 times, nearly severing his
head from his body.
Hungarian police said Margarian was also stabbed several times in
the chest.
Hungary says it returned Safarov to Azerbaijan on August 31 after
receiving assurances from Baku his prison sentence would be enforced.
But Aliyev issued a presidential pardon for Safarov upon his arrival
in Baku.
Armenia has formally protested and suspended diplomatic ties with
Hungary.
In Paris, the co-chairs of the Minsk Group with the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) announced on September 3
that they have met separately with the foreign ministers of Armenia
and Azerbaijan to discuss Safarov's pardon.
Damaged Trust
In a statement, the diplomats said they had told Azerbaijan's Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov that the pardon and attempts in Azerbaijan
to glorify Safarov's crime have damaged efforts to peacefully resolve
the conflict between Baku and Yerevan over Nagorno-Karabakh.
As a result, they said, trust between the two sides also has been
damaged.
Among those attending the talks with Mammadyarov were Russia's
ambassador Igor Popv, U.S. ambassador Robert Bradtke and French
ambassador Jacque Faure -- as well as the OSCE chairman-in-office,
Andrzej Kasprzyk of Poland.
Separately on September 3, Russia's Foreign Ministry that Safarov's
release and pardon contravenes international efforts aimed at easing
tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In Brussels, Maja Kocijancic -- a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy
chief Catherine Ashton -- also expressed concern about the presidential
pardon.
Kocijancic stopped short of criticizing Hungary's decision to return
Safarov to Azerbaijan, but she indicated that EU leaders in Brussels
were "in touch with the Hungarian authorities."
"We are closely following the situation and are in contact with
the relevant sides to obtain more information," she said. "And
we are particularly concerned with the possible impact that these
developments might have on the wider region and, therefore, we call
on Azerbaijan and Armenia to exercise restraint on the ground and
in public statements in order to prevent any kind of escalation of
this situation."
Sovereign Bonds
Kocijancic also avoided commenting on Armenia's decision to suspend
diplomatic relations with Hungary in response to what Yerevan suspects
was a secret deal between Hungary and Azerbaijan.
Safarov was sent back to Baku just a week after a Hungarian business
newspaper reported that Azerbaijan could lend Hungary up to 3 billion
euros by buying a specially-issued sovereign bond denominated in
Turkish lira.
Reuters also reported earlier in August from Istanbul that Hungary
was in talks with Turkey and Azerbaijan about issuing sovereign bonds
in local currencies.
Hungarian Prime Minister Orban's spokesman Peter Szijjarto denies
any connection between Safarov's release and the possible sale of
Hungarian bonds.
Meanwhile, Hungarian Foreign Ministry state secretary Zsolt Nemeth
summoned Azerbaijan's ambassador, Vilayet Guliyev -- saying Hungary
considers the pardon "unacceptable."
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has urged the international
community to respond with "clear and unequivocal actions," saying
"half measures and empty talk are not acceptable."
http://www.rferl.org/content/aliyev-faces-growing-criticism-for-pardon/24696920.html
Radio Free Europe
Sept 3 2012
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev faces growing international
criticism for pardoning an Azerbaijani army officer who was sentenced
to life in prison for the 2004 ax murder of an Armenian military
officer.
Ramil Safarov was sentenced in 2006 by a Budapest court after
confessing to the murder of Armenian Army Lieutenant Gurgen Margarian
while the two were attending a language course organized by NATO's
Partnership for Peace program.
Margarian was killed in his dormitory room in Budapest while he
was sleeping. A postmortem examination later concluded that Safarov
smashed Margarian's face with an ax 16 times, nearly severing his
head from his body.
Hungarian police said Margarian was also stabbed several times in
the chest.
Hungary says it returned Safarov to Azerbaijan on August 31 after
receiving assurances from Baku his prison sentence would be enforced.
But Aliyev issued a presidential pardon for Safarov upon his arrival
in Baku.
Armenia has formally protested and suspended diplomatic ties with
Hungary.
In Paris, the co-chairs of the Minsk Group with the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) announced on September 3
that they have met separately with the foreign ministers of Armenia
and Azerbaijan to discuss Safarov's pardon.
Damaged Trust
In a statement, the diplomats said they had told Azerbaijan's Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov that the pardon and attempts in Azerbaijan
to glorify Safarov's crime have damaged efforts to peacefully resolve
the conflict between Baku and Yerevan over Nagorno-Karabakh.
As a result, they said, trust between the two sides also has been
damaged.
Among those attending the talks with Mammadyarov were Russia's
ambassador Igor Popv, U.S. ambassador Robert Bradtke and French
ambassador Jacque Faure -- as well as the OSCE chairman-in-office,
Andrzej Kasprzyk of Poland.
Separately on September 3, Russia's Foreign Ministry that Safarov's
release and pardon contravenes international efforts aimed at easing
tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In Brussels, Maja Kocijancic -- a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy
chief Catherine Ashton -- also expressed concern about the presidential
pardon.
Kocijancic stopped short of criticizing Hungary's decision to return
Safarov to Azerbaijan, but she indicated that EU leaders in Brussels
were "in touch with the Hungarian authorities."
"We are closely following the situation and are in contact with
the relevant sides to obtain more information," she said. "And
we are particularly concerned with the possible impact that these
developments might have on the wider region and, therefore, we call
on Azerbaijan and Armenia to exercise restraint on the ground and
in public statements in order to prevent any kind of escalation of
this situation."
Sovereign Bonds
Kocijancic also avoided commenting on Armenia's decision to suspend
diplomatic relations with Hungary in response to what Yerevan suspects
was a secret deal between Hungary and Azerbaijan.
Safarov was sent back to Baku just a week after a Hungarian business
newspaper reported that Azerbaijan could lend Hungary up to 3 billion
euros by buying a specially-issued sovereign bond denominated in
Turkish lira.
Reuters also reported earlier in August from Istanbul that Hungary
was in talks with Turkey and Azerbaijan about issuing sovereign bonds
in local currencies.
Hungarian Prime Minister Orban's spokesman Peter Szijjarto denies
any connection between Safarov's release and the possible sale of
Hungarian bonds.
Meanwhile, Hungarian Foreign Ministry state secretary Zsolt Nemeth
summoned Azerbaijan's ambassador, Vilayet Guliyev -- saying Hungary
considers the pardon "unacceptable."
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has urged the international
community to respond with "clear and unequivocal actions," saying
"half measures and empty talk are not acceptable."
http://www.rferl.org/content/aliyev-faces-growing-criticism-for-pardon/24696920.html