Over 2000 protest Azeri President’s visit to France

September 19, 2012 – 10:50 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – More than 2000 gathered in front of the Azerbaijan’s
embassy in Paris Tuesday, Sept 18 to protest Azeri President Aliyev’s
visit to France, according to Asbarez.

Earlier in the day, Aliyev met with French President Francois
Hollande, who told him to work hard to restore Armenia’s confidence
and pursue the Nagorno Karabakh peace process within the framework of
the OSCE Minsk Group, reported the official presidential Web site.

The protesters called on the French government to press Aliyev to
immediately incarcerate Ramil Safarov, the axe-murderer who killed
Armenian soldier Gurgen Margaryan in 2004 during a NATO Partnership
for Peace mission in Budapest.

Safarov, who was tried and found guilty, was serving a life sentence
in Budapest before Hungary agreed to extradite him to Baku on August
31. Upon setting foot in Azerbaijan, Safarov was pardoned and promoted
to the rank of major in the Azeri army.

Bureau of the Armenian Cause in France (BFCA/ANC France) executive
director Hratch Varjabedian reported that several French Parliament
members representing the entire French political spectrum turned out
for the protest and joined their voices with French-Armenian
community.

The demonstration and the Armenian community’s opposition to Aliyev’s
visit was widely covered by the French press.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress