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Xinhua General News Service, China
August 31, 2012 Friday 7:40 PM EST
U.S. concerned about pardoning of Azerbaijani officer
WASHINGTON Aug. 31
The United States on Friday expressed "deep concern" about
Azerbaijan's pardoning of army officer Ramil Safarov after he was
transferred from a Hungarian jail, a move that prompted Armenia to
break off diplomatic ties with Hungary.
"The United States is extremely troubled by the news that the
president of Azerbaijan pardoned Azerbaijani army officer Ramil
Safarov, who returned to Baku today following his transfer from
Hungary," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in a
statement.
Safarov, 35, had been serving a life sentence in a Hungarian jail for
murdering Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan during a 2004 NATO
training event in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. He was given a
life sentence in 2006 by a Hungarian court.
"We are expressing our deep concern to Azerbaijan regarding this
action and seeking an explanation," Ventrell said, adding "We are also
seeking further details from Hungary regarding the decision to
transfer Mr. Safarov to Azerbaijan."
Armenia responded by cutting off diplomatic ties with Hungary, as the
Central Asian nation is still in conflict with Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that lies within Azerbaijan but has been
controlled by Armenian troops and ethnic forces since a separatist war
broke out in 1988.
Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a cease-fire agreement in 1994 but the
conflict has never been truly settled despite mediation by the Minsk
Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe that
was co-chaired by France, Russia and the United States.
"We condemn any action that fuels regional tensions," said Ventrell.
From: Baghdasarian
August 31, 2012 Friday 7:40 PM EST
U.S. concerned about pardoning of Azerbaijani officer
WASHINGTON Aug. 31
The United States on Friday expressed "deep concern" about
Azerbaijan's pardoning of army officer Ramil Safarov after he was
transferred from a Hungarian jail, a move that prompted Armenia to
break off diplomatic ties with Hungary.
"The United States is extremely troubled by the news that the
president of Azerbaijan pardoned Azerbaijani army officer Ramil
Safarov, who returned to Baku today following his transfer from
Hungary," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in a
statement.
Safarov, 35, had been serving a life sentence in a Hungarian jail for
murdering Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan during a 2004 NATO
training event in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. He was given a
life sentence in 2006 by a Hungarian court.
"We are expressing our deep concern to Azerbaijan regarding this
action and seeking an explanation," Ventrell said, adding "We are also
seeking further details from Hungary regarding the decision to
transfer Mr. Safarov to Azerbaijan."
Armenia responded by cutting off diplomatic ties with Hungary, as the
Central Asian nation is still in conflict with Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that lies within Azerbaijan but has been
controlled by Armenian troops and ethnic forces since a separatist war
broke out in 1988.
Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a cease-fire agreement in 1994 but the
conflict has never been truly settled despite mediation by the Minsk
Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe that
was co-chaired by France, Russia and the United States.
"We condemn any action that fuels regional tensions," said Ventrell.
From: Baghdasarian