Hungarian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, Primate of Hungary, and President of the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe, Péter Erdő sent a message to the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, whereby he expressed his support to the Armenian people, in connection with Ramil Safarov’s extradition to Azerbaijan and being granted pardon by the country’s president. 

Cardinal Erdő also condemned the violation and hatred based upon national belonging, and asked God to protect the Armenian people and bless them with justice and peace.   

Separately, and answering to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin’s appeal, World Council of Churches (WCC) General Secretary, Doctor Olav Fykse Tveit expressed his resentment over the Hungarian authorities. Reflecting on the steps which Hungary and Azerbaijan took, WCC condemned all actions which severely disrupt peace and justice in the region.  

Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier that Ramil Safarov, a lieutenant in the Azerbaijani military, was extradited on Friday from Hungary, where he was serving a life sentence—and with no expression of either regret or remorse—for the premeditated axe murder of Armenian lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan, in his sleep, during a NATO Partnership for Peace program in Budapest back in 2004.

As expected, Ramil Safarov’s return to Baku was welcomed, as was his act of murder, by the officials of president Ilham Aliyev’s government and much of Azerbaijani society, and the Azerbaijani president immediately granted him a pardon.

And Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan announced Friday that Armenia is suspending its diplomatic ties with Hungary.