Tweet
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S TEPID REACTION TO SAFAROV RELEASE
http://asbarez.com/105217/international-community%e2%80%99s-tepid-reaction-to-safarov-release/#comments
Tuesday, September 4th, 2012
Slain Armenian soldier Gurgen Margaryan's funeral
BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN
Public outrage around the world is on the rise following Hungary's
extradition on Friday and Baku's subsequent pardon of Ramil Safarov,
the axe murderer who killed an Armenian soldier in 2004 and received
a life sentence for the crime in 2006. US, European and other
stakeholders' reaction, however, has been tepid at best, expressing
"concern" about the incident, but failing to issue terse condemnation
to Hungary and Azerbaijan for their brutal breech of justice and
international law.
The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmen scrambled over the weekend to manage
the crisis and the impact this issue will have on the peace process.
Reportedly at the urging of Armenia, the Co-chairmen, Robert Bradtke
of the United States of America, Igor Popov of Russia and Jacques
Faure of France, along with the Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairperson-in-office, Andrzej Kasprzyk met separately with Armenia's
Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian and his Azeri counterpart Elmar
Mammadyarov in Paris over the weekend.
"They [the co-chairmen] expressed their deep concern and regret for
the damage the pardon and any attempts to glorify the crime have done
to the peace process and trust between the sides," said an official
statement released following the Paris meetings, reiterating the
imperative for a peaceful solution to the Karabakh crisis.
Asbarez reported on Friday that the White House issued a statement
saying "This action is contrary to ongoing efforts to reduce regional
tensions and promote reconciliation. The United States is also
requesting an explanation from Hungary regarding its decision to
transfer Safarov to Azerbaijan."
Likewise, the State Department said it was "troubled" by the
extradition and pardon and "We are expressing our deep concern to
Azerbaijan regarding this action and seeking an explanation. We are
also seeking further details from Hungary regarding the decision to
transfer Mr. Safarov to Azerbaijan."
Similar restrained expressions of "concern" were made by the EU's
Catherine Ashton and Stefan Fule, as well as the foreign ministers
of France and Russia, the latter going a step further by saying that
the actions by Baku went counter to international norms.
The strongest statement was made by the Secretary General of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization, of which Armenia is a member.
"This move, which apparently was made for some political reasons,
cannot be justified. Making a hero out of the criminal will only
contribute to the escalation of the already high tension in the
region. I am convinced the international community will not hesitate
to give an impartial assessment to what happened," Nikolay Bordyuzha
of the CSTO in his statement.
Furthermore, it took Hungary three days to summon the Azeri Ambassador
to Budapest to demand a response for Azerbaijan reneging on its
promise that Safarov would serve his life sentence in Azerbaijan,
claiming that Baku's actions are unacceptable.
"Hungary refuses to accept and condemns the action of Azerbaijan,
which contradicts the relevant rules of international law and sharply
contrasts the undertaking of the Azerbaijani side in this matter,
confirmed by the Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of
Azerbaijan in his letter of 15 August 2012 addressed to the Ministry
of Public Administration and Justice of Hungary," the document reads.
But the most egregious of all is NATO. Hungary is a NATO member. NATO
has invested a lot of capital in advancing the "Partnership for Peace"
program, which was the reason why Ramil Safarov and Gurgen Margaryan
were in Hungary in 2004. Yet NATO has yet to speak about this incident.
These stakeholders, who claim that the Karabakh conflict is of utmost
importance, should have condemned both Hungary and Azerbaijan for
their callous disregard for human life and not merely express "concern"
over this incident, which can have far reaching ramifications on the
peace process.
This latest ploy by Azerbaijan to make a hero out of a murderer
clearly proves the threat of what the international community has
been pursuing for the past 20 years, with the US, the EU and NATO
colluding to curtail the fundamental rights of Karabakh citizens
to self-determination.
The international community's refusal to express outrage and
condemnation to the parties involved, signals their unwillingness
to face the realities, about which Armenians have been talking and
continue to pursue their failed policies of artificial even-handedness
at the risk of harming the national security of Armenia and the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
From: Baghdasarian
http://asbarez.com/105217/international-community%e2%80%99s-tepid-reaction-to-safarov-release/#comments
Tuesday, September 4th, 2012
Slain Armenian soldier Gurgen Margaryan's funeral
BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN
Public outrage around the world is on the rise following Hungary's
extradition on Friday and Baku's subsequent pardon of Ramil Safarov,
the axe murderer who killed an Armenian soldier in 2004 and received
a life sentence for the crime in 2006. US, European and other
stakeholders' reaction, however, has been tepid at best, expressing
"concern" about the incident, but failing to issue terse condemnation
to Hungary and Azerbaijan for their brutal breech of justice and
international law.
The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmen scrambled over the weekend to manage
the crisis and the impact this issue will have on the peace process.
Reportedly at the urging of Armenia, the Co-chairmen, Robert Bradtke
of the United States of America, Igor Popov of Russia and Jacques
Faure of France, along with the Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairperson-in-office, Andrzej Kasprzyk met separately with Armenia's
Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian and his Azeri counterpart Elmar
Mammadyarov in Paris over the weekend.
"They [the co-chairmen] expressed their deep concern and regret for
the damage the pardon and any attempts to glorify the crime have done
to the peace process and trust between the sides," said an official
statement released following the Paris meetings, reiterating the
imperative for a peaceful solution to the Karabakh crisis.
Asbarez reported on Friday that the White House issued a statement
saying "This action is contrary to ongoing efforts to reduce regional
tensions and promote reconciliation. The United States is also
requesting an explanation from Hungary regarding its decision to
transfer Safarov to Azerbaijan."
Likewise, the State Department said it was "troubled" by the
extradition and pardon and "We are expressing our deep concern to
Azerbaijan regarding this action and seeking an explanation. We are
also seeking further details from Hungary regarding the decision to
transfer Mr. Safarov to Azerbaijan."
Similar restrained expressions of "concern" were made by the EU's
Catherine Ashton and Stefan Fule, as well as the foreign ministers
of France and Russia, the latter going a step further by saying that
the actions by Baku went counter to international norms.
The strongest statement was made by the Secretary General of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization, of which Armenia is a member.
"This move, which apparently was made for some political reasons,
cannot be justified. Making a hero out of the criminal will only
contribute to the escalation of the already high tension in the
region. I am convinced the international community will not hesitate
to give an impartial assessment to what happened," Nikolay Bordyuzha
of the CSTO in his statement.
Furthermore, it took Hungary three days to summon the Azeri Ambassador
to Budapest to demand a response for Azerbaijan reneging on its
promise that Safarov would serve his life sentence in Azerbaijan,
claiming that Baku's actions are unacceptable.
"Hungary refuses to accept and condemns the action of Azerbaijan,
which contradicts the relevant rules of international law and sharply
contrasts the undertaking of the Azerbaijani side in this matter,
confirmed by the Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of
Azerbaijan in his letter of 15 August 2012 addressed to the Ministry
of Public Administration and Justice of Hungary," the document reads.
But the most egregious of all is NATO. Hungary is a NATO member. NATO
has invested a lot of capital in advancing the "Partnership for Peace"
program, which was the reason why Ramil Safarov and Gurgen Margaryan
were in Hungary in 2004. Yet NATO has yet to speak about this incident.
These stakeholders, who claim that the Karabakh conflict is of utmost
importance, should have condemned both Hungary and Azerbaijan for
their callous disregard for human life and not merely express "concern"
over this incident, which can have far reaching ramifications on the
peace process.
This latest ploy by Azerbaijan to make a hero out of a murderer
clearly proves the threat of what the international community has
been pursuing for the past 20 years, with the US, the EU and NATO
colluding to curtail the fundamental rights of Karabakh citizens
to self-determination.
The international community's refusal to express outrage and
condemnation to the parties involved, signals their unwillingness
to face the realities, about which Armenians have been talking and
continue to pursue their failed policies of artificial even-handedness
at the risk of harming the national security of Armenia and the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
From: Baghdasarian