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SAFAROV CASE ILLUSTRATES LINGERING IMPACT OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT
Sacramento Bee
Sept 7 2012
CA
By Azerbaijan Monitor
PARIS, September 7, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ --
The on-going conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the
disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh triggered a heated debate at the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Committee meetings
in Paris this week.
Hungary's extradition of Ramil Safarov to Azerbaijan and his
subsequent release drew the attention again to the lingering impact
of the non-settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since the
cease-fire in 1993. Safarov was convicted of murdering an Armenian
soldier during a NATO training course in Budapest in 2004, claiming
that he spat on the Azerbaijani flag and humiliated him.
"It is obvious that the debate over the Ramil Safarov case currently
launched by Armenia in the international area has the only goal to
consolidate the illegal Armenian presence in the occupied territories
and to reject the demand of all international organizations (UN, PACE,
EP, OSCE, etc.) to withdraw their armed forces unconditionally from
these territories," said Azerbaijani MP, Elkhan Suleymanov.
He further pointed out that Safarov was transferred by Hungary
to Azerbaijan in conformity with the Convention on the Transfer of
Sentenced Persons, to which both states are signatories. After serving
eight years in jail, Safarov was released in line with the Article 12
of this Convention, which allows any member states to grant a pardon
according to their national legislation.
Nagorno-Karabakh has been a matter of tension between Armenia and
Azerbaijan for the last 20 years, causing around 30.000 deaths so far.
Peace talks by the OSCE's Minsk Group, led by the US, Russia and
France, have achieved little progress in finding a peaceful solution.
In addition, United Nations Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884, calling
for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces,
have not been implemented, and border incidents on the cease-fire
line between Azerbaijan and Armenia have intensified during the last
few months.
"These incidents are extremely unfortunate," said Suleymanov.
"Thousands of Azerbaijanis were killed since the illegal Armenian
occupation of Nagorno Karabakh and no single Armenian - be it militia
or civilian - was ever convicted for committing serious crimes against
humanity so far."
Meanwhile, Armenian MP Davit Harutyunyan said: "We are only occupying
15% of Azerbaijani territory," adding that "the current number of IDPs
(Internally Displaced Persons) in Azerbaijan amounts to a maximum of
700,000 and not 1,000.000."
Thanking Harutyunyan for his "honest confession" Suleymanov stressed
his "disappointment as all my colleagues kept silent confronted by
this sad reality.
"If Armenia insists on non-implementation of international resolutions
on Nagorno-Karabakh, public sentiment will become even more bitter,"
Suleymanov said.
SOURCE Azerbaijan Monitor
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/07/4796676/safarov-case-illustrates-lingering.html
From: Baghdasarian
Sacramento Bee
Sept 7 2012
CA
By Azerbaijan Monitor
PARIS, September 7, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ --
The on-going conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the
disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh triggered a heated debate at the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Committee meetings
in Paris this week.
Hungary's extradition of Ramil Safarov to Azerbaijan and his
subsequent release drew the attention again to the lingering impact
of the non-settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since the
cease-fire in 1993. Safarov was convicted of murdering an Armenian
soldier during a NATO training course in Budapest in 2004, claiming
that he spat on the Azerbaijani flag and humiliated him.
"It is obvious that the debate over the Ramil Safarov case currently
launched by Armenia in the international area has the only goal to
consolidate the illegal Armenian presence in the occupied territories
and to reject the demand of all international organizations (UN, PACE,
EP, OSCE, etc.) to withdraw their armed forces unconditionally from
these territories," said Azerbaijani MP, Elkhan Suleymanov.
He further pointed out that Safarov was transferred by Hungary
to Azerbaijan in conformity with the Convention on the Transfer of
Sentenced Persons, to which both states are signatories. After serving
eight years in jail, Safarov was released in line with the Article 12
of this Convention, which allows any member states to grant a pardon
according to their national legislation.
Nagorno-Karabakh has been a matter of tension between Armenia and
Azerbaijan for the last 20 years, causing around 30.000 deaths so far.
Peace talks by the OSCE's Minsk Group, led by the US, Russia and
France, have achieved little progress in finding a peaceful solution.
In addition, United Nations Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884, calling
for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces,
have not been implemented, and border incidents on the cease-fire
line between Azerbaijan and Armenia have intensified during the last
few months.
"These incidents are extremely unfortunate," said Suleymanov.
"Thousands of Azerbaijanis were killed since the illegal Armenian
occupation of Nagorno Karabakh and no single Armenian - be it militia
or civilian - was ever convicted for committing serious crimes against
humanity so far."
Meanwhile, Armenian MP Davit Harutyunyan said: "We are only occupying
15% of Azerbaijani territory," adding that "the current number of IDPs
(Internally Displaced Persons) in Azerbaijan amounts to a maximum of
700,000 and not 1,000.000."
Thanking Harutyunyan for his "honest confession" Suleymanov stressed
his "disappointment as all my colleagues kept silent confronted by
this sad reality.
"If Armenia insists on non-implementation of international resolutions
on Nagorno-Karabakh, public sentiment will become even more bitter,"
Suleymanov said.
SOURCE Azerbaijan Monitor
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/07/4796676/safarov-case-illustrates-lingering.html
From: Baghdasarian