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HUNGARY AWARE OF BACKLASH BEFORE SAFAROV RELEASE
asbarez
Tuesday, September 11th, 2012
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
BUDAPEST (Reuters)-Hungary knew its decision to hand convicted killer
Ramil Safarov over to his native Azerbaijan would spark a diplomatic
backlash from Armenia, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said
on Tuesday.
Budapest released Safarov, a soldier, to Azerbaijan last month where
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev pardoned him on arrival. Safarov had
served eight years of a life sentence for killing an Armenian officer
during a NATO-sponsored training session in Hungary in 2004.
Armenia immediately broke diplomatic ties with Hungary and said that
releasing Safarov, who was given a hero's welcome on his return,
was a "grave mistake".
Orban was asked at a news conference about a report by news portal
origo.hu, which said the prime minister had taken the decision despite
being warned about the risks of such a move.
"There was coordination within the entire government about this,"
Orban said. "Each ministry presented its opinion, the justice ministry
about the legal side and the foreign ministry about the diplomatic
consequences."
Orban said he had then announced the decision personally in line with
general procedure.
"The foreign ministry had forecast precisely what types of consequences
this or the other decision may have. Nothing happened after our
decision that we would not have reckoned with in advance," he added.
Hungary has said its actions were consistent with international law
and that Azerbaijan had promised to uphold Safarov's sentence.
While the two countries were in talks about developing closer economic
ties, these were in no way linked to the release of the soldier,
the Hungarian government has said.
Yet despite these calculations, the Hungarian Foreign Minister Hungary
warned Armenia on Monday to restore diplomatic relations or face
"serious ramifications."
In a letter to his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian revealed by
Hungarian media on Monday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi
again defended his government's decision to extradite Ramil Safarov to
Azerbaijan more than eight years after the brutal murder of Lieutenant
Gurgen Markarian in Budapest. He said the extradition stemmed from a
European convention and was not aimed at offending the Armenian people.
The Hungarian government also claims that it had received formal
assurances from Azerbaijan that Safarov will serve the rest of a life
sentence given to him by a Hungarian court in an Azerbaijani prison.
Armenian leaders have brushed aside such statements, saying that
Budapest was well aware that Safarov will be set free if sent back
home. They also say that Hungarian officials had repeatedly assured
Yerevan, including in the days leading up to the extradition, that
the Azerbaijani army officer will not be repatriated.
"The Armenian people will not forgive that," President Serzh Sarkisian
said as he suspended diplomatic relations with Hungary on August 31
just hours after Safarov returned to Baku to a hero's welcome.
In his letter that was first reported by the Hungarian MTI news agency,
Martonyi expressed regret at the dramatic move, citing "Christian
values connecting the two peoples for a thousand years."
The Hungarian minister also warned, "Suspending diplomatic relations
could have serious ramifications that would not serve the interests
of Armenia." He apparently did not elaborate.
Fear of War The Safarov release and subsequent pardon have thrown a
monkey wrench in the already contentious peace talks. Some fear that
this could escalate tensions to a point of war.
Diplomats and analysts say that if another war breaks out, it is
likely to end in stalemate, according to Reuters.
"The Azeris can't retake Karabakh now. They are militarily incapable
of doing it. I don't think they could dislodge the Armenian forces
from the high ground. I think that's extremely difficult."
Yusif Agayev, an Azeri military expert and veteran of the war, said
there was no mood for a protracted fight.
"I think it would be a month or two, that is the amount of time our
armed forces could fight for. If it drags on longer then it will become
a war that society will have to participate in, not just the army,"
he said. "I don't think the society of my country is ready for war."
asbarez
Tuesday, September 11th, 2012
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
BUDAPEST (Reuters)-Hungary knew its decision to hand convicted killer
Ramil Safarov over to his native Azerbaijan would spark a diplomatic
backlash from Armenia, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said
on Tuesday.
Budapest released Safarov, a soldier, to Azerbaijan last month where
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev pardoned him on arrival. Safarov had
served eight years of a life sentence for killing an Armenian officer
during a NATO-sponsored training session in Hungary in 2004.
Armenia immediately broke diplomatic ties with Hungary and said that
releasing Safarov, who was given a hero's welcome on his return,
was a "grave mistake".
Orban was asked at a news conference about a report by news portal
origo.hu, which said the prime minister had taken the decision despite
being warned about the risks of such a move.
"There was coordination within the entire government about this,"
Orban said. "Each ministry presented its opinion, the justice ministry
about the legal side and the foreign ministry about the diplomatic
consequences."
Orban said he had then announced the decision personally in line with
general procedure.
"The foreign ministry had forecast precisely what types of consequences
this or the other decision may have. Nothing happened after our
decision that we would not have reckoned with in advance," he added.
Hungary has said its actions were consistent with international law
and that Azerbaijan had promised to uphold Safarov's sentence.
While the two countries were in talks about developing closer economic
ties, these were in no way linked to the release of the soldier,
the Hungarian government has said.
Yet despite these calculations, the Hungarian Foreign Minister Hungary
warned Armenia on Monday to restore diplomatic relations or face
"serious ramifications."
In a letter to his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian revealed by
Hungarian media on Monday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi
again defended his government's decision to extradite Ramil Safarov to
Azerbaijan more than eight years after the brutal murder of Lieutenant
Gurgen Markarian in Budapest. He said the extradition stemmed from a
European convention and was not aimed at offending the Armenian people.
The Hungarian government also claims that it had received formal
assurances from Azerbaijan that Safarov will serve the rest of a life
sentence given to him by a Hungarian court in an Azerbaijani prison.
Armenian leaders have brushed aside such statements, saying that
Budapest was well aware that Safarov will be set free if sent back
home. They also say that Hungarian officials had repeatedly assured
Yerevan, including in the days leading up to the extradition, that
the Azerbaijani army officer will not be repatriated.
"The Armenian people will not forgive that," President Serzh Sarkisian
said as he suspended diplomatic relations with Hungary on August 31
just hours after Safarov returned to Baku to a hero's welcome.
In his letter that was first reported by the Hungarian MTI news agency,
Martonyi expressed regret at the dramatic move, citing "Christian
values connecting the two peoples for a thousand years."
The Hungarian minister also warned, "Suspending diplomatic relations
could have serious ramifications that would not serve the interests
of Armenia." He apparently did not elaborate.
Fear of War The Safarov release and subsequent pardon have thrown a
monkey wrench in the already contentious peace talks. Some fear that
this could escalate tensions to a point of war.
Diplomats and analysts say that if another war breaks out, it is
likely to end in stalemate, according to Reuters.
"The Azeris can't retake Karabakh now. They are militarily incapable
of doing it. I don't think they could dislodge the Armenian forces
from the high ground. I think that's extremely difficult."
Yusif Agayev, an Azeri military expert and veteran of the war, said
there was no mood for a protracted fight.
"I think it would be a month or two, that is the amount of time our
armed forces could fight for. If it drags on longer then it will become
a war that society will have to participate in, not just the army,"
he said. "I don't think the society of my country is ready for war."