YEREVAN. – The Azerbaijani authorities plan to kill Ramil Safarov, who murdered the Armenian lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan in 2004 in Budapest, than was extradited to Azerbaijan on Aug. 31 and granted pardon, Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] war veteran and hero Arkadi Ter-Tadevosyan said at a press conference. Photo coverage of the story is available here.

He also said that Safarov was a part of a big deal initiated by Turkey and Azerbaijan.

“Azerbaijan intends to resume war in Karabakh and Safarov was a part of the plan. According to a military theory, war resumption requires three components, including powerful army, high level of trust of population towards the authorities and preparedness of the society. Safarov had to satisfy the last two components,” Ter-Tadevosyan said adding by extraditing Safarov, Aliyev secured the second component, while the Armenian reaction only made it stronger.

As for the third component, preparedness of society, Safarov’s death is necessary for ensuring this last one. Azerbaijani authorities intend to kill Safarov and later to catch and to imprison someone with Armenian origin just to say that alleged killer of Safarov acted according to the orders of the Armenian authorities.

“Such a step will bring forth double reaction. On the one hand, it will cause the Azerbaijani society, who believes de-facto that Safarov was a national hero, to make revenge and will raise their preparedness to military actions. On the other, the Armenian side will be blamed for terrorism and entering Azerbaijan, hence justifying the resumption of military actions in the eyes of the world community and receiving its support,” the war veteran said adding the war threat has significantly escalated.

At the same time, he does not doubt that the Armenian side will win the war.

Photo by Sona Barseghyan