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SAFAROV CASE HIGHLIGHTS LINGERING IMPACT OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT
Travel & Leisure Close-Up
September 12, 2012 Wednesday
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.
According to a release, 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."
Armenian MP Davit Harutyunyan said: "We are only occupying 15 percent
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."
From: A. Papazian
Travel & Leisure Close-Up
September 12, 2012 Wednesday
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.
According to a release, 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."
Armenian MP Davit Harutyunyan said: "We are only occupying 15 percent
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."
From: A. Papazian