Author: Andres-Papazian

Ozbiliz Stunner Hands FC Kuban 2-1 Win at Dynamo

Aras Ozbiliz

© AFP/ ANDREW YATES18:22 02/09/2012MOSCOW, September 2 (RIA Novosti)

A stoppage-time goal from Armenian striker Aras Ozbiliz consigned Dan
Petrescu’s Dynamo Moscow to a 2-1 home defeat to his former charges FC
Kuban in the Russian Premier League on Sunday.

A sixth league defeat in seven games left Dynamo at the bottom of the
table with three points, as Kuban moved to eighth with nine points.

Zenit St. Petersburg and Terek Grozny share the lead with 16 points,
the champions ahead only on goal difference.

Dynamo opened the scoring in first-half injury time as Ecuador
midfielder Christian Noboa struck from distance into the left corner
of the net.

The visitors leveled it on 65 minutes in equally spectacular fashion
as midfielder Artem Fiedler lashed a free kick into Anton Shunin’s
bottom right corner.

Ozbiliz sealed Kuban a comeback win in the third minute of the
stoppage time, finishing off a swift counterattack by cutting in from
the right and unleashing an unstoppable drive into the top corner from
20 yards.

Immediately after that goal Petrescu, who left Kuban in August to take
over at troubled Dynamo a week later, stormed out of the dugout
disappeared into the dressing room without awaiting the final whistle.

Shortly before Kuban equalized Dynamo captain Igor Semshov rushed
clear for a one-on-one against Alexander Belenov, but the goalkeeper
read his chip and plucked it out of the air.

Earlier Sunday, CSKA Moscow edged past a resilient FC Krasnodar with a
1-0 away win.

On Saturday, Terek Grozny continued their astonishing start with a 2-1
away win over 10-man Rubin Kazan thanks to a late winner from Magomed
Mitrishev; and a late equalizer from striker Alexei Sapogov gave
10-man FC Volga a 1-1 draw against FC Rostov.

A 70th-minute strike from Hungarian striker Tamas Priskin saved newly
promoted Alania Vladikavkaz from a home defeat against Amkar Perm, as
the teams played a 1-1 draw.

In Friday’s only game, Zenit secured a 3-0 away victory against newly
promoted Mordovia Saransk with striker Alexander Kerzhakov bagging a
brace.

Later Sunday, Krylya Sovetov Samara host Anzhi Makhachkala and Moscow
rivals Spartak and Lokomotiv clash in the match of the day.

From: A. Papazian

Armenian Deputy FM Comments on Azerbaijani Behavior

20:40, 1 September, 2012

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS: Armenpress asked Deputy foreign
Minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan to comment on the attempts of
official Baku to justify the pardon of Ramil Safarov, who killed the
Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan with an axe, while he was asleep, in
Budapest according to the 1983 Strasbourg Convention on the Transfer
of Sentenced Persons. `The attempts of Baku to justify the granted
pardon to Ramil Safarov according to the provisions of Strasburg
Convention are as groundless and horrific as are the setting free and
honoring of the life imprisoned slaughterer. This alarming act of the
authorities of Azerbaijan not only contradicts to the humanistic
purposes of the Convention, but also to the spirit of the whole
European system of human rights. The attempts of Azerbaijan to cast
shadow on the international legal norms and adjust them to their own
xenophobic, racist `value system’ are doomed to failure. They only
equate the abominable murderer to the Azerbaijani leadership
glorifying him’: Kocharyan told Armenpress.

From: A. Papazian

Romandie, France
1 sept 2012

Des Arméniens en colère contre Budapest brûlent un drapeau hongrois

EREVAN – Des centaines d’Arméniens ont manifesté samedi devant le
consulat de Hongrie à Erevan où ils ont brûlé un drapeau hongrois pour
protester contre la décision de Budapest de renvoyer dans son pays un
soldat azerbaïdjanais, condamné à la perpétuité en Hongrie pour avoir
tué un Arménien mais qui a été gracié par Bakou après son retour.

Des manifestants en colère ont également lancé des oeufs et des
tomates contre le btiment du consulat, accusant la Hongrie d’avoir
conclu avec l’Azerbaïdjan — voisin et ennemi de l’Arménie — un
accord en vue de profiter des riches ressources énergétiques de Bakou.

Les Hongrois ont vendu leur honneur et leur conscience aux
Azerbaïdjanais telle une prostituée, a déclaré à l’AFP l’un des
manifestants, Armen Mkrtchian.

L’Arménie avait annoncé vendredi la suspension de ses relations
diplomatiques avec la Hongrie, le président Serge Sarkissian, estimant
que Budapest avait commis une grave erreur.

Ramil Safarov, 35 ans, condamné à la perpétuité en Hongrie pour le
meurtre d’un officier arménien en 2004, a été renvoyé vendredi en
Azerbaïdjan par les autorités hongroises et gracié aussitôt par le
président de cette ancienne république soviétique, Ilham Aliev.

Le président des Etats-Unis Barack Obama s’est déclaré très préoccupé
par la décision de Bakou de gracier ce soldat, a indiqué vendredi la
Maison Blanche.

Selon la presse hongroise de samedi, cette extradition serait liée aux
projets d’expansion économique du Premier ministre conservateur,
Viktor Orban.

Le chef du gouvernement hongrois, qui a fait de l’ouverture vers l’Est
un cheval de bataille, s’est rendu à Bakou il y a quelques mois pour
des questions énergétiques et économiques, soulignent des médias
hongrois.

De son côté, Budapest a maintenu samedi que Bakou lui avait promis que
le condamné continuerait de purger sa peine en Azerbaïdjan.

Le ministre azerbaïdjanais de la Justice a informé le ministre
hongrois de la Justice que la peine de Ramil Safarov ne serait pas
modifiée mais qu’il continuerait de purger la peine qui lui a été
infligée par le tribunal hongrois, a indiqué le gouvernement hongrois
sur son site.

Mais en plus d’avoir été gracié, le soldat azerbaïdjanais a été
réintégré dans l’armée et promu au rang de major.

Le ministre de la Défense, Safar Abiyev, l’a reçu, lui a remis son
nouveau grade et lui a souhaité bonne chance dans ses nouvelles
fonctions, a précisé le ministère azerbaïdjanais dans un communiqué.

L’Arménie et l’Azerbaïdjan se disputent depuis des années le contrôle
du Nagorny Karabakh. Rattachée à l’Azerbaïdjan pendant la période
soviétique, cette région a proclamé son indépendance, non reconnue par
la communauté internationale, après une guerre qui a fait 30.000 morts
et des centaines de milliers de réfugiés entre 1988 et 1994.

Un cessez-le-feu a été signé en 1994, mais Bakou et Erevan n’arrivent
pas à se mettre d’accord sur le statut de la région.

From: A. Papazian

Le Matin, Suisse
1 sept 2012

L’Arménie rompt le dialogue avec la Hongrie

incident diplomatique
–
Un soldat azerbaïdjanais condamné en Hongrie pour le meurtre d’un
Arménien et gracié par l’Azerbaïdjan a plongé la région dans la
tourmente.

Bakou avait promis, selon Budapest, de ne pas changer la peine de
prison à vie du soldat azerbaïdjanais condamné par la justice
hongroise pour le meurtre d’un soldat arménien, puis extradé et gracié
vendredi en Azerbaïdjan, actes qui ont mené à la rupture des relations
diplomatiques entre la Hongrie et l’Arménie.

“Le ministre de la Justice de l’Azerbaïdjan a informé le ministre de
la Justice et de l’Administration hongrois que la peine de Ramil Sahib
Safarov ne serait pas modifiée mais qu’il continuerait de purger la
peine qui lui a été administré par le Tribunal hongrois”, a indiqué le
gouvernement hongrois sur son site officiel.

Condamné à la perpétuité pour le meurtre d’un officier arménien à
Budapest en 2004, Ramil Safarov, 35 ans, a été extradé vendredi vers
son pays par les autorités hongroises et gracié aussitôt par le
président azerbaïdjanais, Ilham Aliev.

Suite à l’extradition, l’Arménie a annoncé qu’elle suspendait ses
relations diplomatiques avec la Hongrie et le bureau du Président
américain Barack Obama a également indiqué qu’il demanderait des
explications à Budapest sur l’extradition.

De son côté, le gouvernement hongrois a répondu samedi après-midi en
soulignant qu’il “respectait pleinement l’Arménie chrétienne, son
peuple et ses traditions comme sa culture” et affirmé son “regret”
pour la rupture des liens diplomatiques.

Plans d’expansions

Le communiqué de Budapest, publié par l’agence de presse nationale MTI
répète la position du ministre de la Justice et de l’administration
selon laquelle la Hongrie avait agit “en harmonie avec les lois
internationales”, évoquant la Convention de Strasbourg de 1983 sur le
transfert des personnes condamnées, signée par Budapest et Bakou. A la
fin du communiqué, Budapest précise qu’elle “attendait le même respect
des contrats internationaux de ses partenaires”.

La presse hongroise estimait samedi que l’extradition de Safarov était
certainement liée aux plans d’expansion économique du Premier ministre
conservateur Viktor Orban, dont “l’ouverture vers l’Est” est son
cheval de bataille.

Ce dernier a visité Bakou il y a quelques mois pour des questions
“énergétiques et économiques”.

Selon le premier portail d’information en ligne Index.hu, le
gouvernement hongrois désire vendre des obligations d’Etat à Bakou
pour un montant de l’ordre de 2 à 3 milliards d’euros pour financer sa
dette, alors que ses négociations avec le Fonds monétaire
international (FMI) semblent figées.

Après un premier round de discussions à la mi-juillet, aucune date
n’est encore annoncée la poursuite du débat sur le prêt de 15
milliards d’euros dont Budapest aurait besoin.

Selon le parti d’opposition DK de l’ancien Premier ministre Ferenc
Gyurcsany, le gouvernement a “vendu l’honneur de la Hongrie dans
l’espoir d’un prêt azéri”. Ils ont appelé à la démission du ministre
de la Justice hongrois Tibor Navracsics.

Le parti vert-gauche LMP a exigé des explications et le plus grand
parti de l’opposition MSZP (socialiste) a convoqué la réunion de la
Commission des affaires étrangères du parlement hongrois.

From: A. Papazian

President.az, Azerbaijan
Aug 31 2012

Azeri president pardons army officer extradited from Hungary

The Azerbaijani president has pardoned an army officer who has been
brought back home after spending years in Hungarian jail for murdering
an Armenian colleague in Budapest in 2004.

The official website of the president published a decree which said
that Ramil Safarov, born in 1977, and sentenced to life in prison
Hungary in 2006, was pardoned on 31 August.

[Translated from Azeri]

From: A. Papazian

Trend, Azerbaijan
Sept 1 2012

Armenian President admits his untenability

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sep. 1 / Trend /

The reaction of the Armenian authorities on the extradition and
subsequent amnesty of Ramil Safarov verged on hysteria, the director
of the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of Azerbaijan,
Farhad Mammadov, said on Saturday.

“Holding of a meeting of the Security Council of Armenia and a
five-minute nervous speech of President Serzh Sargsyan at the meeting
with the ambassadors of UN member states have demonstrated that
Sargsyan actually admitted his untenability. By his actions and
statements he showed that Armenia is not able to oppose the active
foreign policy of Azerbaijan,” Mammadov said.

He said it is a serious signal to those who trust in the power of the
Armenian diaspora. After the failure in the Constitutional Council of
France of the denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide” this move of
the Hungarian authorities was a serious blow to the influence of the
Armenian diaspora.

“The return of Ramil Safarov is a signal for Armenia, as this country
has no leverage because of its weakness and vulnerability. I think
Hungary is not particularly upset by the fact of freezing diplomatic
relations with Armenia. However, the Hungarian authorities and the
public will feel the brunt of propaganda of Armenians at global level,
because the most absurd and dirty accusations will fall to Hungary.
Admittedly, the Armenians do it best. I think that Hungary should
raise the level of threat of terrorist attack, as the EU visa-free
space is home to over half a million Armenians, potentially ready to
commit a terrorist attack,” Mammadov said.

He noted that the Armenian president at a meeting with the ambassadors
urged his partners to ” unequivocal actions”, “but what can be
expressed by these actions? Which country will spoil its relations
with Hungary because of Armenia?”

“Apparently Serzh Sargsyan himself understood it, as after this call
he expressed the phrase with a hint of blackmail: “We will judge
attitude of our partners to the security of the Armenian people on the
basis of actions in relation to what happened.” The height of
hypocrisy can be considered a statement that “murder motivated by
ethnic or religious hatred can not go unpunished.” It should be
recalled that the existence of a politician in the face of Serzh
Sargsyan as the president of Armenia is the most prominent example of
impunity for the killing of hundreds of Azerbaijanis by Armenian thugs
led by Serzh Sargsyan during the ethnic cleansing in
Nagorno-Karabakh,” the head of the Center for Strategic Studies said.

From: A. Papazian

Scrape TV, Canada
Sept 1 2012

ARMENIA CUTS TIES WITH HUNGARY AND HUNGARY IS LIKE OK COOL

September 1 2012

Yerevan, Armenia – Little things, or at least little thing to one
group, can very easily have big results. Sometimes that is good and
other times very, very bad, like say assassinating a nobody archduke
during a parade.

Of course most things don’t end up as dramatically as that, even when
they are international incidents. Sometimes anger gets the better of
people and they lash out, say things they may mean but still wish they
hadn’t said or done in public. That may be something the Hungarian
government is considering right now after releasing an Azerbaijani
prisoner that prompted Armenia to cut off all diplomatic ties.

Or maybe not. According to Armenia the feud started when Hungary and
Azerbaijan worked to secure the release of Ramil Safarov who had been
convicted of murdering an Armenian soldier back in 2004. That release
has outraged the Armenian government and forced their hand in making a
decision to cut off all diplomatic ties with Hungary. Hungary, in
response, was like cool guys. It’s not actually clear if Hungarian
officials even realized that Armenia was even a country anymore.

`With their joint actions, Azerbaijan and Hungary opened the door to
the recurrence of such crimes. I cannot put up with this. The republic
of Armenia cannot put up with this,’ said President Serzh Sarkisian in
a statement.

Safarov was flown to Azerbaijan and pardoned which was not actually a
part of the deal but Hungary of course didn’t really make a big deal
of it.

It’s not clear if Safarov will end up killing fellow Azerbaijanis or
crossing the border and killing more Armenians.

Armenia borders Azerbaijan.

`This is certainly something, no doubt about it, and it is clearly
something that is important to the Armenian government but clearly
it’s no big deal to anyone else because, well, why would it be really.
I mean I guess it’s bad to release a guy who hacked a soldier to death
like this guy did but he was Armenian after all so it’s not like
there’s a big loss there. I mean the Turks killed millions of them and
no one did anything so why should this guy receive such a harsh
punishment,’ said Scrape TV International analyst Gustav Hander.
`Those two countries fought a war years ago and so I guess there’s
still some bad blood which is presumably why they didn’t want this
murderer released. Or because he will likely kill again. Either,
doesn’t really matter. He’s a free man.’

It’s not clear what Armenia will do now but Hungary is expected to do
nothing at all.

`Obviously this is very passionate concern for the people of Armenia
and clearly no one in that region or in Hungary or anywhere else
really has any respect for Armenian concerns or passions. Clearly they
don’t or they would have done something and nothing has been done,’
continued Hander. `Hungary will be fine of course because who cares
about relations with Armenia really. It was probably just a pity thing
anyways. I’m sure Hungary will be just fine going forward without
Armenian relations.’

Safarov has not killed any Armenians yet but that is expected sometime soon.

From: A. Papazian

Global Times, China
Sept 2 2012

Hungary points to int’l law in letting Azeri killer go home

Xinhua | 2012-9-2 9:45:38

Hungary acted in line with international law when allowing an Azeri
soldier who killed an Armenian military officer in Budapest in 2004 to
go home to serve the remainder of his life sentence there, Hungarian
authorities said on Saturday.

The Hungarian Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Public
Administration and Justice made the remarks in a press release issued
on Saturday.

However, the soldier was immediately pardoned and released on his
return to Azerbaijan on Friday.

The Azeri national, Ramil Sahib Safarov, had been sentenced to life
imprisonment for killing Armenian military officer Gurgen Markaryan in
2004 in Budapest where the two were attending a NATO training session.

Armenia responded by cutting off diplomatic ties with Hungary, as the
Central Asian nation is still in conflict with Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that lies within Azerbaijan but has been
controlled by Armenian troops and ethnic forces since a separatist war
broke out in 1988.

Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a cease-fire agreement in 1994 but the
conflict has never been truly settled despite international mediation
by the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe that was co-chaired by France, Russia and the United States.

The killing was believed to be related to these hostilities.

In fact, recent cross-border clashes have triggered concerns that
there could be a resumption of fighting in the region, in which there
are multiple energy pipelines going towards Europe.

Azerbaijan’s Justice Ministry had assured Hungarian officials that
Safarov would continue serving his sentence in Azerbaijan, but Azeri
President Ilham Aliyev signed an order to pardon him on the day of his
arrival home.

Armenia has announced a suspension of diplomatic relations with
Hungary in protest against the transfer and has suggested that Hungary
is morally responsible for Safarov’s release.

The Hungarian government press release underlined Hungary’s profound
respect for Armenia, adding that it considered the diplomatic measures
taken to be unfortunate.

However, opposition leaders say that government officials should have
known Safarov would receive a hero’s welcome at home and would never
serve out his sentence. Opposition left-of-center MSZP and Democratic
Coalition parties are calling for a special session of parliament’s
foreign affairs committee.

The international echo has reached beyond Armenia. US President Barack
Obama voiced concern over Safarov’s pardon and Washington has asked
Budapest to explain why it chose to let him return home.

From: A. Papazian

Mediamax, Armenia
Sept 1 2012

Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman: The glorification of Ramil
Safarov will make the world see Azerbaijan’s true face

Yerevan, September 1. /Mediamax/. Spokesman for the Armenian Defense
Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan said today that the glorification of
Ramil Safarov will make the world see the true face of Azerbaijan.

Talking to Mediamax, Artsrun Hovhannisyan said that the attitude of
Azerbaijani Army’s top leadership to Ramil Safarov should give the
international community a lot of reasons for concern.

`The officers throughout the globe have high code of honor which
requires courage, valour and other virtues. Meanwhile the murderer,
whom most of the civilized world would have simply quartered, is
glorified in Azerbaijan and granted high honors.

he countries that invite Azerbaijani officers to various trainings and
exercises have a lot to think about. And indeed, how should people
treat an army that encourages the axing of a sleeping man? I think the
glorification of Ramil Safarov will finally make the world see the
true face of Azerbaijan,’ the spokesman for the Armenian Defense
Ministry told Mediamax. –0–

From: A. Papazian

Mediamax, Armenia
Sept 1 2012

United States is requesting an explanation from Hungary regarding its
decision to transfer Safarov to Azerbaijan

Yerevan/Mediamax/. U.S. President Barack Obama is deeply concerned by
the announcement that the President of Azerbaijan has pardoned Ramil
Safarov following his return from Hungary.

National Security Council Spokesman Tommy Vietor said this in a
statement, Mediamax reports.

`President Obama is deeply concerned by today’s announcement that the
President of Azerbaijan has pardoned Ramil Safarov following his
return from Hungary. Safarov confessed to the murder of Armenian Army
officer Gurgen Margaryan in Budapest in 2004, and was serving a life
sentence in Hungary for this brutal crime. We are communicating to
Azerbaijani authorities our disappointment about the decision to
pardon Safarov. This action is contrary to ongoing efforts to reduce
regional tensions and promote reconciliation. The United States is
also requesting an explanation from Hungary regarding its decision to
transfer Safarov to Azerbaijan’, Tommy Vietor said.

From: A. Papazian