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NATO CHIEF CRITICIZES BAKU FOR AXE-KILLER'S PARDON
asbarez
Thursday, September 6th, 2012
President Sarkisian with NATO Secretary General Rassmusen in Yerevan
Thursday
Shirks NATO responsibility for Safarov's extradition and subsequent
pardon.
YEREVAN (RFE/RL)-Visiting Armenia on Thursday, NATO Secretary
General Anders Fogh Rasmussen added his voice to Western criticism
of Azerbaijan's decision to pardon the Azerbaijani army officer who
had axed to death an Armenian colleague during a NATO training course
in Budapest.
Rasmussen at the same time pointedly declined to criticize NATO
member Hungary for making that possible by extraditing Ramil Safarov
to Azerbaijan more than eight years after the brutal killing. He said
the extradition followed "international norms and standards."
Rasmussen was in Yerevan on the first leg of his tour of the three
South Caucasus states that was overshadowed by the fallout from
Safarov's controversial release from a Hungarian prison. He faced
hundreds of Armenians demonstrating in the capital to demand its
strong condemnation by NATO.
"I am deeply concerned by the Azerbaijani decision to pardon
army officer Safarov," Rasmussen told RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am) in an interview. "This very tragic and terrible incident
happened eight years ago and it was a crime. Such a crime should not
be glorified, and the decision taken by Azerbaijan damages trust and
does not contribute to peace and reconciliation."
"Having said that, it is also important that we do not return to
conflict," he said. "On the contrary, it is crucial to work for a
reduction of tensions and promote peace and reconciliation."
"I will raise [the issue] during my visit to Baku and I will convey
this very clear message to the Azerbaijani authorities," added the
former Danish prime minister.
Rasmussen made a similar statement after his ensuing talks with
President Serzh Sarkisian that touched upon the Safarov affair and
its implications. Sarkisian reiterated Yerevan's furious reaction
to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's decisions to pardon the
convicted axe-murderer and reward him with a higher military rank
and hefty material benefits immediately after his repatriation.
"Azerbaijan has turned itself into a sponsor of the crime with its
own hands," Sarkisian told a joint news conference with the NATO chief.
"This is an unacceptable, inadmissible and condemnable phenomenon
that deals a big blow to the aims of the [NATO] Partnership for Peace
program and seriously jeopardizes regional security in the South
Caucasus. In this situation, nobody has the moral right to stay silent
and ignore what happened."
Rasmussen was greeted by angry demonstrators
Sarkisian also again hit out at Hungary, with which his government
has suspended diplomatic relations. He said the Hungarian government
must have known in advance that Safarov, who was sentenced to life
imprisonment by a Hungarian court in 2006, will be set free on his
return home.
Official Budapest insists that the extradition was based on a European
convention to which both Azerbaijan and Hungary are signatories. It
says it had received formal assurances from Baku that Safarov will
serve the rest of his jail term in an Azerbaijani prison.
Rasmussen clearly backed the official Hungarian position when he
addressed students and professors at Yerevan State University (YSU)
earlier in the day. "I understand that the transfer of Mr. Safarov
from Hungary to Azerbaijan has taken place based on an agreement
that follows international norms and standards," he said, answering
a question from one of the students.
Rasmussen also stressed that neither NATO nor Hungary should be held
responsible for the killing of Armenian Lieutenant Gurgen Markarian
during an English-language course that was organized by NATO in
Budapest in 2004 for military officers from partner states.
"It was a crime committed by an individual, an Azerbaijani army
officer," he said. He was brought to court in Hungary, he was sentenced
to many years in prison, and he was treated in Hungary according to
the basic principles of the rule of law."
As Rasmussen spoke hundreds of mostly young people demonstrated outside
the sprawling YSU building in central Yerevan to express their anger
about Safarov's release and demand its unequivocal condemnation
by NATO.
President Sarkisian, meanwhile, made clear that the bitter row with
Hungary "must not cast a shadow on our relations with NATO." "Armenia
is ready and determined to maintain and develop the current level of
cooperation," he said after the talks.
asbarez
Thursday, September 6th, 2012
President Sarkisian with NATO Secretary General Rassmusen in Yerevan
Thursday
Shirks NATO responsibility for Safarov's extradition and subsequent
pardon.
YEREVAN (RFE/RL)-Visiting Armenia on Thursday, NATO Secretary
General Anders Fogh Rasmussen added his voice to Western criticism
of Azerbaijan's decision to pardon the Azerbaijani army officer who
had axed to death an Armenian colleague during a NATO training course
in Budapest.
Rasmussen at the same time pointedly declined to criticize NATO
member Hungary for making that possible by extraditing Ramil Safarov
to Azerbaijan more than eight years after the brutal killing. He said
the extradition followed "international norms and standards."
Rasmussen was in Yerevan on the first leg of his tour of the three
South Caucasus states that was overshadowed by the fallout from
Safarov's controversial release from a Hungarian prison. He faced
hundreds of Armenians demonstrating in the capital to demand its
strong condemnation by NATO.
"I am deeply concerned by the Azerbaijani decision to pardon
army officer Safarov," Rasmussen told RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am) in an interview. "This very tragic and terrible incident
happened eight years ago and it was a crime. Such a crime should not
be glorified, and the decision taken by Azerbaijan damages trust and
does not contribute to peace and reconciliation."
"Having said that, it is also important that we do not return to
conflict," he said. "On the contrary, it is crucial to work for a
reduction of tensions and promote peace and reconciliation."
"I will raise [the issue] during my visit to Baku and I will convey
this very clear message to the Azerbaijani authorities," added the
former Danish prime minister.
Rasmussen made a similar statement after his ensuing talks with
President Serzh Sarkisian that touched upon the Safarov affair and
its implications. Sarkisian reiterated Yerevan's furious reaction
to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's decisions to pardon the
convicted axe-murderer and reward him with a higher military rank
and hefty material benefits immediately after his repatriation.
"Azerbaijan has turned itself into a sponsor of the crime with its
own hands," Sarkisian told a joint news conference with the NATO chief.
"This is an unacceptable, inadmissible and condemnable phenomenon
that deals a big blow to the aims of the [NATO] Partnership for Peace
program and seriously jeopardizes regional security in the South
Caucasus. In this situation, nobody has the moral right to stay silent
and ignore what happened."
Rasmussen was greeted by angry demonstrators
Sarkisian also again hit out at Hungary, with which his government
has suspended diplomatic relations. He said the Hungarian government
must have known in advance that Safarov, who was sentenced to life
imprisonment by a Hungarian court in 2006, will be set free on his
return home.
Official Budapest insists that the extradition was based on a European
convention to which both Azerbaijan and Hungary are signatories. It
says it had received formal assurances from Baku that Safarov will
serve the rest of his jail term in an Azerbaijani prison.
Rasmussen clearly backed the official Hungarian position when he
addressed students and professors at Yerevan State University (YSU)
earlier in the day. "I understand that the transfer of Mr. Safarov
from Hungary to Azerbaijan has taken place based on an agreement
that follows international norms and standards," he said, answering
a question from one of the students.
Rasmussen also stressed that neither NATO nor Hungary should be held
responsible for the killing of Armenian Lieutenant Gurgen Markarian
during an English-language course that was organized by NATO in
Budapest in 2004 for military officers from partner states.
"It was a crime committed by an individual, an Azerbaijani army
officer," he said. He was brought to court in Hungary, he was sentenced
to many years in prison, and he was treated in Hungary according to
the basic principles of the rule of law."
As Rasmussen spoke hundreds of mostly young people demonstrated outside
the sprawling YSU building in central Yerevan to express their anger
about Safarov's release and demand its unequivocal condemnation
by NATO.
President Sarkisian, meanwhile, made clear that the bitter row with
Hungary "must not cast a shadow on our relations with NATO." "Armenia
is ready and determined to maintain and develop the current level of
cooperation," he said after the talks.