Author: Badalian Vardan

Armenia fumes over Hungary’s `deal’ with Azerbaijan to hand over axe-murderer

News | 02.09.12 | 11:17

By Suren Musayelyan
ArmeniaNow Deputy Editor

Anti-Hungarian protests were held in Yerevan over the weekend after
official Budapest extradited a confessed murderer of an Armenian army
officer to Azerbaijan where he was immediately pardoned by the
country’s president.

Armenia was quick to suspend diplomatic relations and all official
ties with Hungary on Friday accusing the Eastern European country’s
government of striking a deal with Azerbaijan in allowing Ramil
Safarov to be taken back home. Safarov was serving a life sentence in
a Budapest jail after being found guilty of murdering Armenian officer
Gurgen Margaryan while he was asleep in 2004. Both men were taking
part in NATO’s English-language courses in Budapest. Under the verdict
passed on him, Safarov was not eligible for pardon for at least 30
years.

`With these joint actions, Hungary’s and Azerbaijan’s authorities have
cleared the way for a repeat of such crimes. They are sending a
message to murderers. They [murderers] know now that a murder
committed on the basis of religious or ethnic hatred can go
unpunished,’ Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan told foreign envoys in
Yerevan on August 31 shortly after discussing the matter at the
meeting of the National Security Council.

He urged the foreign diplomats to communicate Armenia’s resentment
over Hungary to the leaders in their countries and said Yerevan
expected clear reactions from them.

The U.S. reaction came shortly, with Azerbaijan and its president
Ilham Aliyev being the main targets of criticism.

`President Obama is deeply concerned by today’s announcement that the
President of Azerbaijan has pardoned Ramil Safarov following his
return from Hungary,’ Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the U.S. National
Security Council, said in a statement late on Friday. `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,’ the
official added.

The Hungarian Ministry of Justice and Public Administration, which
formally authorized Safarov’s repatriation, said earlier that the
decision was in line with international conventions.

Earlier, the Armenian National Congress of America, the largest
American advocacy group in the United States, demanded an official
reaction from Obama and urged Armenian Americans to send similar
petitions to the White House.

Meanwhile, Russia and France, the other two countries co-heading the
OSCE Minsk Group, have so far been tightlipped on the development.

The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were due to meet with
the Minsk Group co-chairs in Paris on Sunday. The issue is likely to
be on the agenda of the talks. It is also expected to come up during
the visit of NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to the
region next week. (Hungary is a member of NATO as well as the European
Union).

Meanwhile, representatives of different political groups and youth
organizations staged protests near the consulate of Hungary in
Yerevan, throwing tomatoes and coins at it, burning the images of
Ramil Safarov and then a Hungarian flag. A protest was also held near
the Foreign Ministry building near Republic Square, with its
participants demanding a resignation of Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandyan over his failure to prevent the developments.

Armenia’s Ministry of the Diaspora, meanwhile, issued a call on
Armenians worldwide to show their anger and resentment over Hungary’s
conduct by staging protests and campaigning otherwise.

Meanwhile, Safarov, 35, received a hero’s welcome at home where he was
promoted to the rank of major, also receiving hefty material benefits
from the government of Azerbaijan.

Many experts in Armenia believe the kind of attitude shown by the
authorities in Baku to Safarov is a heavy blow to the current
negotiations over the future of Nagorno-Karabakh and delays the
prospect of peace in the region indefinitely. Some political groups in
Armenia have even called on the government to withdraw from the talks
and start a formal process on the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as
an independent state.

Chess Olympiad: Indian eves tamed by China; Men hold England

Posted on: 02 Sep 2012, 12:12 PM

Istanbul (Turkey): The Indian women`s team met their nemesis in the
Chinese as they lost by a huge 0.5-3.5 margin but the men held higher
seeds England to a draw in the fifth round of the 40th Chess Olympiad
here.

It turned out to be a tough day for Indian girls against top seed
China as only D Harika could salvage a creditable draw with women`s
world champion Yifan Hou on the top board.

Eesha Karavade had her chances but went down to Zhao Xue on the second
board and Tania Sachdev was outplayed by Ju Wenjun on the third board.
On the last board, Mary Ann Gomes put up some resistance but in the
end Qian Huang of China ensured the big victory.

The Indian men, in contrast, held their own and in fact had another
chance to upstage a higher seed following a mix-up against USA in the
previous round.

There was not much excitement in this encounter as K Sasikiran and P
Harikrishna drew comfortably on the top two boards while Abhijeet
Gupta also had no troubles whatsoever in keeping his fortress together
with black pieces against Nicolas Pert on the last board.

Parimarjan Negi got some real winning chances in the middle game
against his former coach Nigel Short but that too fizzled out to a
draw as the game reached a level rook and pawns endgame leaving the
match to qualify as an all-drawn encounter.

At the top of the tables in the open section, Highest rated player in
the Olympiad and world number two Levon Aronian gave Armenia a
head-start defeating an off-form Vassily Ivanchuk in the match against
Ukraine.

While the other three games ended in a draw, Aronian`s win was enough
to ensure a minimal 2.5-1.5 victory for former champions Armenia.

Top seeded Russian men now match Armenia on a maximum 10 match points
after beating Hungary 2.5-1.5. Alexander Grischuk scored the crucial
victory for the Russians.

With Armenia and Russia in front, Croatia and Azerbaijan are on the
heels of the leader with nine match points while Indian men remain in
the joint fifth spot on eight points.

In the women`s section, defending champion Russia took the sole lead
with a perfect 10 defeating France on the top board. The Indian
women`s team is now in desperate need of some victories on seven
points.

Grandmaster D Harika was the only inspiration for the Indian girls in
the match against China. Yifan surprisingly went for a safe Four
Knights opening as white and regular exchanges led to a level rook and
pawns endgame where the draw was agreed to after 37 moves.

Eesha Karavade misplayed the middle game as white out of a Nimzo
Indian defense and went down in 38 moves while Tania Sachdev lost five
moves earlier after getting in to a much worse position in the opening
against Ju Wenjun.

Mary Ann Gomes, meanwhile, held her position together a long time but
an error on the 35th move cost her dearly as Huang took control and
won in 51 moves.

Important results round 5 men: Armenia (10) beat Ukraine (8) 2.5-1.5;
Hungary (8) lost to Russia (10) 1.5-2.5; Germany (8) drew with
Montenegro (8) 2-2; Croatia (9) beat France (7) 2.5-1.5; USA (8) drew
with Czech Republic (8) 2-2; Canada (7) lost to Azerbaijan (9)
0.5-3.5; India (8) drew with England (8) 2-2 (K Sasikiran drew with
Michael Adams; Gawain Jones drew with P Harikrishna; Parimarjan Negi
drew with Nigel Short; Nicolas Pert drew with Abhijeet Gupta); Poland
(8) beat Argentina (7) 2.5-1.5; China (8) beat Iran (6) 3.5-0.5; Spain
(8) beat Paraguay (6) 3.5-0.5; Bulgaria (6) beat Peru (6) 2.5-1.5;
Ireland (6) lost to Israel (8) 1.5-2.5; Iceland (6) lost to
Philippines (8) 1-3;

Women: Russia (10) beat France (8) 2.5-1.5; Serbia (9) beat Bulgaria
(7) 2.5-1.5; Greece (7) lost to Poland (9) 1.5-2.5; Georgia (8) drew
with Ukraine (8) 2-2; Latvia (7) lost to Slovakia (9) 1.5-2.5; China
(9) beat India (7) 3.5-0.5 (Yifan Hou drew with D Harika; Eesha
Karavade lost to Zhao Xue; Ju Wenjun beat Tania Sachdev; Mary Ann
Gomes lost to Qian Huang); Moldova (6) lost to Hungary (8) 0.5-3.5;
Vietnam (8) beat USA (5) 3-1; Ecuador (6) lost to Czech Republic (8)
0.5-3.5; Bosnia & Herzegovina (6) lost to Spain (8) 0.5-3.5;
Azerbaijan (8) beat Mongolia (6) 3.5-0.5; South Africa (6) lost to
Philippines (8) 1-3; Montenegro (8) beat Switzerland (6) 3-1; Estonia
(8) beat Costa Rica (6) 3.5-0.5.

PRENOMS ARMENIENS
Naré chez les filles et David chez les garçons sont les prénoms les
plus courants en 2012 en Arménie

De janvier à mai 2012 l’Arménie a enregistré la naissance de 8 479
garçons et 7 364 filles. Chez ces dernières le prénom le plus utilisé
fut Naré qui fut donné à 354 filles. Chez les garçons c’est David qui
fut en tête avec 470 garçons nés sur les cinq premiers mois de l’année
qui portent ce prénom. Les statistiques démontrent que chaque année
les prénoms arméniens laissent progressivement leur place à des
prénoms étrangers. Selon l’éthologue Nikol Markarian on constate une «
européanisation » des prénoms en Arménie. « dans les familles
arméniennes les prénoms des garçons sont souvent issus de l’héritage
des familles ou fixés par les chefs de famille. Pour les filles c’est
souvent la mère qui choisit le prénom et elle donne le plus souvent
des prénoms modernes (…) issus des feuilletons, films ou romans »
dit N. Markarian. En 2011 naissaient en Arménie 20 287 filles et 23
160 garçons. Chez les filles le prénom le plus répandu était Mané
donné à 839 enfants. Chez les garçons c’était Narég qui emportait avec
1 194 nouveau-nés qui portaient ce prénom.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 2 septembre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

ARMENIE
Un jardin en souvenir des combattants tombés au Haut Karabagh dans le
quartier Khantak de Vanatsor

Le département de la région du Lori de la Fondation de la jeunesse
d’Arménie a un projet d’installer dans le quartier Khantak de
Vanatzor, un parc dédié aux combattants morts lors de la guerre de
libération du Haut Karabagh. Ce quartier de Vanatsor compte 6 000
habitants dont 7 furent tués lors de la guerre de l’Artsakh (Haut
Karabagh). L’espace sera une sorte de lieu de souvenir et de prière
avec une plaque portant les noms des héros. Les habitants du quartier
apporteront leur contribution dans l’aménagement de ce jardin.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 2 septembre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

Trend, Azerbaijan
Sept 1 2012

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry grants apartment to Ramil Safarov

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 1 / Trend E.Mehdiyev /

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry paid released officer Ramil Safarov
salary, accumulated for all the time that he was in imprisonment (over
eight years). The ministry also provided him with an apartment.

Information on this was confirmed by the ministry.

Earlier Azerbaijani Defense Minister colonel-general Safar Abiyev has
given Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov the rank of major.

Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov, who was convicted in Hungary,
returned on Friday to Azerbaijan. The same day, under the order of the
head of state, he was pardoned.

Ramil Safarov was born on August 25, 1977 in Jabrail region of
Azerbaijan. Safarov, 34, who participated in NATO exercises in 2004 in
Hungary, was charged with the murder of the Armenian officer Gurgen
Margaryan, who insulted the Azerbaijani flag. By the verdict of the
Budapest court, Safarov was sentenced to life imprisonment without the
right of pardon during 30 years.

Change.org
Aug 31 2012

The government of Hungary: Apologize for releasing Ramil Safarov to Azerbaijan

by Vicken Khachadourian
Chula Vista, CA

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY February 19, 2004. Armenian citizen Gurgen
Margaryan, 26 years old, was hacked to death while asleep by Ramil
Safarov, a Lieutenant of the Azerbaijani Army. Both were participants
of an English language training course within the framework of the
NATO-sponsored `Partnership for Peace’ program held in Budapest,
Hungary. The murder occurred at 5 o’clock in the morning, while the
victim was asleep.

Even though Safarov confessed to the killing, and was sentenced to a
life term in Hungary, in the past few days the government of Hungary
released him to the government of Azerbaijan, and once that event took
place, the corrupt president of Azerbaijan, Aliyev, pardoned him, and
he returned with a hero’s welcome.

This event took place under the umbrella of a NATO event, and it sets
a very disturbing precedent where someone who’s killed in his sleep at
5 am in the morning with an axe, can see no justice.

Petition Letter
Greetings,

I just signed the following petition addressed to: The government of Hungary.

—————-
Apologize for releasing Ramil Safarov to Azerbaijan

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY February 19, 2004. Armenian citizen Gurgen
Margaryan, 26 years old, was hacked to death while asleep by Ramil
Safarov, a Lieutenant of the Azerbaijani Army. Both were participants
of an English language training course within the framework of the
NATO-sponsored `Partnership for Peace’ program held in Budapest,
Hungary. The murder occurred at 5 o’clock in the morning, while the
victim was asleep.

Even though Safarov confessed to the killing, and was sentenced to a
life term in Hungary, in the past few days the government of Hungary
released him to the government of Azerbaijan, and once that event took
place, the corrupt president of Azerbaijan, Aliyev, pardoned him, and
he returned with a hero’s welcome.

This event took place under the umbrella of a NATO event, and it sets
a very disturbing precedent where someone who’s killed in his sleep at
5 am in the morning with an axe, can see no justice.
—————-

Sincerely,

[Your name]

MENAFN.COM
Sept 1 2012

US concerned over pardon of Azerbaijani soldier

MENAFN – Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) – 01/09/2012

(MENAFN – Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The US voiced here Friday evening
its concern over the pardon of Azerbaijani army officer who killed an
Armenian army officer in Budapest, Hungary in 2004.

National Security Council Spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement
that US President Barack 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 during a NATO training event 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,” Vietor stressed.

He affirmed that “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,” he added.
For his part, Acting Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department
Patrick Ventrell also stressed that the US is “extremely troubled” by
the news.

“We are expressing our deep concern to Azerbaijan regarding this
action and seeking an explanation,” he reiterated, remarking “we
condemn any action that fuels regional tensions”.

Pakistan Observer
Sept 1 2012

Armenia suspends diplomatic ties with Hungary

Baku – Armenia said it was suspending diplomatic relations with Hungary
because it had allowed an Azeri soldier who killed an Armenian officer
in 2004 to return home, where he was immediately pardoned and freed.
`Hungarian authorities should understand that they have made a grave
mistake,’ President Serzh Sarksyan told his Security Council in a
statement posted on his website.

`They de-facto made a deal with the Azeri authorities.’ The row
erupted after Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev pardoned Ramil
Safarov, who had been sentenced to life in prison for the 2004 killing
of Armenian officer Gurgen Markaryan during NATO training in Hungary.

Hungary agreed to return Safarov to Azerbaijan, where he arrived on
Friday, after it had received assurances he would serve out his
sentence. Within hours of the announcement of Safarov’s release,
Sarksyan called an emergency meeting of his Security Council. `I
officially announce that as of today we cease all diplomatic relations
and all ties with Hungary,’ Sarksyan said in a press release
distributed by his administration.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds since the war between ethnic
Azeris and Armenians which erupted in 1991 over Nagorno-Karabakh
enclave. A ceasefire was signed in 1994 but relations remain tense.
Cross-border clashes this year have prompted worries of a resumption
of fighting in a region crisscrossed by energy pipelines to Europe.

Nagorno-Karabakh has run its own affairs with the heavy military and
financial backing of Armenia since the war, when Armenian-backed
forces seized control of the enclave and seven surrounding Azeri
districts. Russia, France and the United States have led years of
mediation efforts under the auspices of the OSCE. Baku and Yerevan
failed to agree at talks in June last year and the angry rhetoric
between them has worsened since then.

Hungary has been developing economic ties with energy-rich Azerbaijan
and gave backing to the Nabucco pipeline project seen as the main
route for Azeri gas exports to Europe. – AFP

Global Times, China
Sept 2 2012

Armenians protest Hungary’s decision to repatriate Azerbaijani killer

Xinhua | 2012-9-2 10:32:10

Hundreds of Armenians Saturday protested Hungary’s decision to send an
Azerbaijani soldier who killed an Armenian back to his hometown.

Armenian protesters burned the Hungarian flag and threw eggs, tomatoes
and coins outside the Hungarian consulate in the capital of Yerevan,
saying Hungary’s decision to repatriate the Azerbaijani murderer was
driven by its desire to benefit from Baku’s energy resources.

Ramil Safarov was sentenced to life by a Budapest court in 2006 after
he murdered Armenian soldier Gurgen Margarian at a military academy in
2004 when both were attending NATO-organized English-language courses
in Hungary.

Safarov was sent back to Azerbaijan on Friday and was immediately
pardoned and freed after his arrival. Armenia responded to the release
by cutting off its diplomatic ties with Hungary on Friday.

In its response, Hungary said Saturday that it acted in line with
international law to allow Safarov to go home to serve the remainder
of his life sentence there.

Armenia 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 ceasefire agreement in 1994 but the
conflict has never been truly settled despite mediation by the Minsk
Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
co-chaired by France, Russia and the United States.

Mediamax, Armenia
Sept 1 2012

Armenian FM to meet Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in Paris

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Armenian FM Edward Nalbandyan will meet U.S.,
Russian and French Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in Paris
September 2.

The last visit of the Co-Chairs took place in mid-July this year.

In a statement made after the visit Co-Chairs informed thy plan to
meet again separately with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and
Azerbaijan in order to prepare for a joint meeting of the Ministers in
September.