YEREVAN. – The Azerbaijani media information, which is disseminated on the Conference of the Ministers of Justice of Council of Europe-member states held in Vienna—and to the effect that they allegedly prevented the Armenian delegation’s attempt to reflect on the Ramil Safarov case—, is false, the Armenian Justice Ministry states in a clarification it has released.    

“Such discussion was not and could not have been planned because the Conference organizers strictly adhered to the earlier-approved agenda and topic. [And] The topic was ‘Urban Violence, Juveniles as Criminals and Victims.’ 

Nonetheless, the Armenian Justice Ministry delegation addressed a written statement to the Conference participants, and referring to Ramil Safarov’s extradition by Hungary and his subsequent pardon by Azerbaijan. The statement specifically noted that the Ministry strongly condemns this [incident] because, in this way, both countries have breached international law.     

And, in his closing remarks, Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Justice Yeghishe Kirakosyan proposed to discuss this topic next time within the framework of the forum, so as to prevent future similar violations of international law,” Armenian Justice Ministry’s clarification reads in particular.    

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.    

Ramil Safarov’s pardoning is condemned by virtually all international organizations.