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Interfax, Russia
Sept 1 2012
Hundreds protest in Yerevan against Hungary's extradition of Azeri
killer of Armenian officer
YEREVAN. Sept 1
Hundreds of people have gathered in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia,
to protest Hungary's decision to transfer to Azerbaijan Azeri military
officer Ramil Safarov serving a life sentence for killing an Armenian
officer.
About 300 people gathered in front of the Hungarian consulate office
in the center of Yerevan and torched a Hungarian flag on Saturday.
Activists from the organization Ayazn, which initiated the protest,
have glued numerous posters to the consulate's doors and walls,
saying, 'Hungary, good bye', 'Are you insane, Hungary?', 'Pay 3
billion and buy a murderer' and others and also threw coins on the
ground near the building.
Before this, a similar protest demonstration took place near the
Armenian Foreign Ministry headquarters.
It was reported earlier that Gurgen Margarian, an Armenian army
lieutenant, who was taking an English language course in Budapest
under NATO's Partnership For Peace program, was killed with an axe in
his sleep by Azeri officer Ramil Safarov attending the same course on
February 19, 2004. A Budapest court sentenced Safarov to life without
the right to parole during the first 30 years of his imprisonment on
April 13, 2006. However, Hungary extradited Safarov to Azerbaijan on
Friday, and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev immediately pardoned him.
Armenia announced the severance of diplomatic ties with Hungary later
on Friday. "I am declaring officially that we are severing diplomatic
relations and all official ties with Hungary starting from today,"
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at a meeting with ambassadors
from UN countries accredited in Armenia on Friday.
"Neither I nor the people of Armenia can accept this. The Armenian
people will not forgive this," Sargsyan said.
Armenian media reported earlier citing Hungarian publications that
Azerbaijan was preparing to buy Hungarian state bonds worth from 2 to
3 billion euro.
Washington has expressed its concerns about Aliyev's decision to
pardon the murderer of the Armenian officer and demanded explanations
from Budapest regarding his transfer to Azerbaijan.
"The United States is also requesting an explanation from Hungary
regarding its decision to transfer Safarov to Azerbaijan," U.S.
National Security Council Spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement
posted on the White House website.
Sept 1 2012
Hundreds protest in Yerevan against Hungary's extradition of Azeri
killer of Armenian officer
YEREVAN. Sept 1
Hundreds of people have gathered in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia,
to protest Hungary's decision to transfer to Azerbaijan Azeri military
officer Ramil Safarov serving a life sentence for killing an Armenian
officer.
About 300 people gathered in front of the Hungarian consulate office
in the center of Yerevan and torched a Hungarian flag on Saturday.
Activists from the organization Ayazn, which initiated the protest,
have glued numerous posters to the consulate's doors and walls,
saying, 'Hungary, good bye', 'Are you insane, Hungary?', 'Pay 3
billion and buy a murderer' and others and also threw coins on the
ground near the building.
Before this, a similar protest demonstration took place near the
Armenian Foreign Ministry headquarters.
It was reported earlier that Gurgen Margarian, an Armenian army
lieutenant, who was taking an English language course in Budapest
under NATO's Partnership For Peace program, was killed with an axe in
his sleep by Azeri officer Ramil Safarov attending the same course on
February 19, 2004. A Budapest court sentenced Safarov to life without
the right to parole during the first 30 years of his imprisonment on
April 13, 2006. However, Hungary extradited Safarov to Azerbaijan on
Friday, and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev immediately pardoned him.
Armenia announced the severance of diplomatic ties with Hungary later
on Friday. "I am declaring officially that we are severing diplomatic
relations and all official ties with Hungary starting from today,"
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at a meeting with ambassadors
from UN countries accredited in Armenia on Friday.
"Neither I nor the people of Armenia can accept this. The Armenian
people will not forgive this," Sargsyan said.
Armenian media reported earlier citing Hungarian publications that
Azerbaijan was preparing to buy Hungarian state bonds worth from 2 to
3 billion euro.
Washington has expressed its concerns about Aliyev's decision to
pardon the murderer of the Armenian officer and demanded explanations
from Budapest regarding his transfer to Azerbaijan.
"The United States is also requesting an explanation from Hungary
regarding its decision to transfer Safarov to Azerbaijan," U.S.
National Security Council Spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement
posted on the White House website.