The Hungarian government signed a €3 billion-deal for Ramil Safarov’s extradition, but this amount has not been given to Hungary as of yet, Hungarian armenologist Zigmund Benedek told Armenian News-NEWS.am.   

In the armenologist’s view, the promised money could be transferred, or perhaps not, but Azerbaijan already tricked Hungary once by granting Safarov pardon and releasing him.  

“Knowing that there was a danger of pardoning the criminal, the Hungarian government demanded a guarantee from the Azerbaijani government, and the Azerbaijani Justice Ministry gave such guarantee. The Hungarian government was convinced that Safarov would continue serving the same sentence [, but this time in Azerbaijan],” he noted. 

And with respect to the query as to why the Hungarian government resorted to this measure and made such deal specifically with Azerbaijan, Zigmund Benedek responded by saying that Hungary’s economy is in a terrible condition. In his words, the country attempted to receive assistance but was unsuccessful. And since Azerbaijan pledged to give this money, this seemed a very persuasive proposal for the Hungarian government.  

Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier that Ramil Safarov, a lieutenant in the Azerbaijani military, was extradited on August 31 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 on August 31 that Armenia is suspending its diplomatic ties with Hungary.

To note, the Hungarian press likewise had written that Safarov’s extradition could be a part of a secret deal worth €3 billion that was made between the governments of Hungary and Azerbaijan.