MOSCOW. – The scandal around Azeri murderer Ramil Safarov’s extradition by Hungary brought forth huge negative responses in the world. Safarov was sentenced to life in jail in Hungary for having killed Armenian lieutenant in his sleep in 2004 during the NATO Partnership for Peace course, former OSCE Minsk Group mediator [Russia] Vladimir Kazimirov wrote in his article published in the Nezavisimaya Gazeta. Armenian News-NEWS.am presents the article with some extractions:

There is an important aspect. Despite interests linking Hungary with Baku, Hungarian authorities preferred to condemn the fact of pardoning a murderer, as Baku violated its own word for keeping the murderer in jail.

The ‘Safarov Affair’ reminded about the ability of sides to take and implement duties assumed. However, it is still a question whether Baku is ever able to keep its word.

We faced and currently face such examples of questioning the official Baku as a partner. In addition, the line of the contact is named the front line, while the opponent is an enemy in Azerbaijan.

Moreover, Azerbaijan, by presenting as the key problem not the status of Karabakh but its consequences, which include occupation of Azerbaijani territories, makes all efforts to hide how the war generally was launched and the years of the war.

Pre-election period in both Armenia and Azerbaijan makes even more complicated the work of the OSCE Minsk Group mediators, while the Safarov Affair is just escalating the tension. No doubt, the mediator member-states will make any efforts to prevent resumption of military actions more than settling conflicting issues through basic principles.