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NATO 'DEEPLY CONCERNED' OVER AZERBAIJAN KILLER PARDON
Agence France Presse
September 6, 2012 Thursday 3:04 PM GMT
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Thursday said he was
"deeply concerned" about the pardoning of a Azerbaijani soldier who
axed an Armenian officer to death during a NATO training course.
"I am deeply concerned by the Azerbaijani decision... The act he
committed in 2004 was a terrible crime and should not be glorified,"
Rasmussen said in a speech at Yerevan State University during a visit
to Armenia.
Azerbaijani lieutenant Ramil Safarov was extradited to Baku last week
from Hungary, where he had been serving a life sentence for hacking
the Armenian officer to death in Budapest.
Safarov was immediately pardoned and promoted to the rank of major
after returning home to a hero's welcome, in defiance of assurances
from Baku to Budapest that he would serve out his term in Azerbaijan.
The issue has inflamed tensions between ex-Soviet foes Armenia and
Azerbaijan which are locked in an unresolved conflict over the disputed
territory of Nagorny Karabakh where they fought a war in the 1990s.
"The pardon damages trust and doesn't contribute to the peace process,"
Rasmussen said.
"Tensions must be reduced and concrete steps must be taken to promote
regional cooperation and reconciliation."
Rasmussen said he would convey the same message to Azerbaijan when
he visits Baku on Friday.
More than a thousand young Armenians demonstrated outside the
university where Rasmussen was speaking, chanting "Shame! and "We
demand justice!"
"We demand that NATO expresses a tough position towards Hungary and
Azerbaijan, revises its cooperation with Azerbaijan... and achieves
Safarov's return to Hungary so that he continues serving his jail
term there," protest organiser Artur Kazarian told AFP.
Armenia has broken off diplomatic links with Hungary over the
extradition and subsequent pardon, which has also sparked concern in
Washington, Brussels and Moscow.
At a press conference with Rasmussen later on Thursday, Armenian
President Serzh Sarkisian said that "making a hero out of a criminal
is unacceptable".
"Azerbaijan's shameful act seriously endangers the security of the
entire south Caucasus," he said.
But Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov again rejected
international criticism.
"The case of Ramil Safarov needs to be considered in the context of
the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijani territories and the policy
of ethnic cleansing pursued by Armenia against Azerbaijani people,"
he said in comments published on the foreign ministry's website.
Safarov's lawyers claimed in court that he was traumatised because his
family became refugees during Azerbaijan's war with Armenian forces,
and alleged that the man he killed had insulted his country.
Campaign group Amnesty International however expressed concern that the
pardon would be "perceived as an endorsement of ethnically-motivated
violence".
"By pardoning and then promoting Ramil Safarov, President Aliyev has
signalled to Azerbaijanis that violence against Armenians is not only
acceptable, but rewarded," Amnesty said in a statement.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have not signed a peace deal since the 1994
ceasefire and there are still frequent gun-battles along the Nagorny
Karabakh frontline.
Baku has threatened to take back the disputed region by force if
long-running negotiations do not yield results, while Yerevan has
vowed massive retaliation against any military action.
From: A. Papazian
Agence France Presse
September 6, 2012 Thursday 3:04 PM GMT
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Thursday said he was
"deeply concerned" about the pardoning of a Azerbaijani soldier who
axed an Armenian officer to death during a NATO training course.
"I am deeply concerned by the Azerbaijani decision... The act he
committed in 2004 was a terrible crime and should not be glorified,"
Rasmussen said in a speech at Yerevan State University during a visit
to Armenia.
Azerbaijani lieutenant Ramil Safarov was extradited to Baku last week
from Hungary, where he had been serving a life sentence for hacking
the Armenian officer to death in Budapest.
Safarov was immediately pardoned and promoted to the rank of major
after returning home to a hero's welcome, in defiance of assurances
from Baku to Budapest that he would serve out his term in Azerbaijan.
The issue has inflamed tensions between ex-Soviet foes Armenia and
Azerbaijan which are locked in an unresolved conflict over the disputed
territory of Nagorny Karabakh where they fought a war in the 1990s.
"The pardon damages trust and doesn't contribute to the peace process,"
Rasmussen said.
"Tensions must be reduced and concrete steps must be taken to promote
regional cooperation and reconciliation."
Rasmussen said he would convey the same message to Azerbaijan when
he visits Baku on Friday.
More than a thousand young Armenians demonstrated outside the
university where Rasmussen was speaking, chanting "Shame! and "We
demand justice!"
"We demand that NATO expresses a tough position towards Hungary and
Azerbaijan, revises its cooperation with Azerbaijan... and achieves
Safarov's return to Hungary so that he continues serving his jail
term there," protest organiser Artur Kazarian told AFP.
Armenia has broken off diplomatic links with Hungary over the
extradition and subsequent pardon, which has also sparked concern in
Washington, Brussels and Moscow.
At a press conference with Rasmussen later on Thursday, Armenian
President Serzh Sarkisian said that "making a hero out of a criminal
is unacceptable".
"Azerbaijan's shameful act seriously endangers the security of the
entire south Caucasus," he said.
But Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov again rejected
international criticism.
"The case of Ramil Safarov needs to be considered in the context of
the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijani territories and the policy
of ethnic cleansing pursued by Armenia against Azerbaijani people,"
he said in comments published on the foreign ministry's website.
Safarov's lawyers claimed in court that he was traumatised because his
family became refugees during Azerbaijan's war with Armenian forces,
and alleged that the man he killed had insulted his country.
Campaign group Amnesty International however expressed concern that the
pardon would be "perceived as an endorsement of ethnically-motivated
violence".
"By pardoning and then promoting Ramil Safarov, President Aliyev has
signalled to Azerbaijanis that violence against Armenians is not only
acceptable, but rewarded," Amnesty said in a statement.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have not signed a peace deal since the 1994
ceasefire and there are still frequent gun-battles along the Nagorny
Karabakh frontline.
Baku has threatened to take back the disputed region by force if
long-running negotiations do not yield results, while Yerevan has
vowed massive retaliation against any military action.
From: A. Papazian