Elmar Brok on the pardoning and glorification of Ramil Safarov
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS: Elmar Brok (EPP), chairman of the Foreign Affairs committee in the European Parliament, criticised the decision by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to pardon Ramil Safarov, who has confessed to the murder of an Armenian Soldier in Hungary 2004, reports Armenpress citing EPP Press Service. "I am deeply concerned about the decision to pardon Ramil Safarov upon arrival in Baku, to publicly glorify him, promote him to Major rank, pay him 8 years of salary and offer him an apartment. Azerbaijan had given a written promise to the Hungarian authorities that Mr Safarov would continue to serve the lifetime sentence for at least 25 years when he arrives in Azerbaijan. Now Azerbaijan has broken this promise. Safarov is an Azerbaijani soldier who murdered the Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan at their NATO training camp in Budapest in 2004. With the decision to set him free, Azerbaijan is circumventing the valid conviction of the court of an EU member state and is presenting a murderer as a role model to cheering children in Baku."
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Hungary should follow its own interests rather than those of Armenia or Azerbaijan. Orban - Australia disappointed about Safarov extradition
"The Australian Government is disappointed by the decision of President Aliyev to pardon Safarov", stated in the letter. - Conressman Berman calls on Secretary Clinton to suspend Azerbaijan's participation in
NATO's PfP program
Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Howard Berman sent a letter to the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton concerning the extradition and pardon of a convicted murderer Ramil Safarov. - Swedish MPs send a letter to the Hungarian Embassy in Stockholm
''At the same time we hope that Your Government will takes decisive measures for reprimanding Baku for their breach of international laws, endangering the fragile peace process of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as for having dishonored the agreement made between the Justice Departments of respective country'' stated in the letter. - Murder should be condemned, not rewarded: Harold Albrecht
''These developments are of real concern to Canada, and in particular to Canadians of Armenian descent who want peace in their homeland'' stated Kitchener-Conestoga MP.