Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Statement by Patrick Ventrell, Acting Deputy Spokesperson

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 09:48:49 – 01/09/2012

The United States is extremely troubled by the news that the President
of Azerbaijan pardoned Azerbaijani army officer Ramil Safarov, who
returned to Baku today following his transfer from Hungary. Mr.
Safarov had been serving a life sentence in a Hungarian jail for
murdering Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan during a 2004 NATO
training event in Budapest.

We are expressing our deep concern to Azerbaijan regarding this action
and seeking an explanation. We are also seeking further details from
Hungary regarding the decision to transfer Mr. Safarov to Azerbaijan.

We condemn any action that fuels regional tensions.

L’armenie S’impose (2,5-1,5) Sur Les Philippines Et Confirme Sa Position De Favori Des 40e Olympiades Des Echecs
Krikor Amirzayan

armenews.com
samedi 1er septembre 2012

L’Armenie masculine a remporte hier sa quatrième victoire aux
40e Olympiades des echecs a Istanbul en s’imposant 2,5-1 ,5 face a
l’equipe des Philippines (35e rang mondial). Depuis le debut du tournoi
l’Armenie, favorite de ces Olympiades reste invaincue. C’est Gabriel
Sarkissian qui a apporte le point de la victoire en s’imposant face
a Oliver Dimakiling. Vladimir Hagopian, Sergueï Movsissian et Levon
Aronian ayant realise des parties nulles. Pour le 5e tour l’Armenie
sera opposee a l’Ukraine, l’une des favorites de la competition. A
noter que quatre pays sont a ce jour invaincus au terme de la 4e
partie. Il s’agit de l’Armenie, l’Ukraine, la Hongrie et de la
Russie. L’Azerbaïdjan ayant fait lors du 4e tour un score nul (2-2)
face a l’Allemagne.

JUSTICE MINISTRY OF HUNGARY: “HUNGARY DOES ACT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE RULES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW ON EXTRADITION OF RAMIL SAFAROV TO AZERBAIJAN”

APA

Aug 31 2012
Azerbaijan

Under the Convention, the enforcement of the sentence shall be governed
by the law of the administering State and that State alone shall be
competent to take all appropriate decisions

Baku. Victoria Dementyeva – APA. “Hungary does act and is, in Ramil
Sahib Safarov’s case as well, acting in compliance with the rules
of international law”, reads the statement of Ministry of Public
Administration and Justice of Hungary, APA reports.

“Ramil Sahib Safarov, an Azerbaijani national imprisoned in Hungary
since 19 February 2004, sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering
Gurgen Margaryan, an Armenian national, has requested – pursuant to the
1983 Strasbourg Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons – his
transfer to Azerbaijan in order to serve his sentence in Azerbaijan”.

The Ministry notes that both Azerbaijan and Hungary are parties to
the Convention.

“Under the Convention, a person sentenced in the territory of a Party
may be transferred to the territory of another Party, in accordance
with the provisions of the Convention, in order to serve the sentence
imposed on him. To that end, such a person may express his interest
to the sentencing State or to the administering State in being
transferred under the Convention. The competent authorities of the
administering State shall continue the enforcement of the sentence or
convert the sentence, through a judicial or administrative procedure,
into a decision of that State. In case of continued enforcement the
administering State shall be bound by the legal nature and duration
of the sentence as determined by the sentencing State.

According to the information provided by the Ministry of Justice of
Azerbaijan, under the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan the act for which
the sentence was imposed constitutes a criminal offence that may be
punished by life imprisonment.

Persons sentenced to life imprisonment may, at the earliest, be
conditionally released after serving a period of twenty-five years.

The Ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan has further informed the
Ministry of Public Administration and Justice of Hungary that Ramil
Sahib Safarov’s sentence will not be converted but will immediately
be continued to be enforced, according to the Hungarian judgment.

Since the conditions specified in the Convention for the transfer of
sentenced persons have been met in Ramil Sahib Safarov’s case, his
transfer has been authorized by the Minister of Public Administration
and Justice and Ramil Sahib Safarov has today been transferred to
Azerbaijan.

Under the Convention, the enforcement of the sentence shall be governed
by the law of the administering State and that State alone shall be
competent to take all appropriate decisions. In 2010 eleven sentenced
persons, in 2011 seven sentenced persons while in 2012 eight sentenced
persons were and have been transferred abroad from Hungary under the
Convention,. Hungary does act and is, in Ramil Sahib Safarov’s case
as well, acting in compliance with the rules of international law,”
reads the statement.

REALITY OF DAVUTOGLU’S NAGORNO-KARABAKH POLICY BECOMES CONTROVERSIAL

Today’s Zaman

Aug 31 2012
Turkey

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, answering questions on NTV last
week, said Azerbaijan and Armenia should come together in Ä°stanbul
to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as Ankara believes the
role played by Turkey in the South Caucasus makes it a vital actor
in the region.

“We would like to see talks on Syria in Turkey. We also want
negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan to be held in Ä°stanbul,”
Davutoglu reportedly said.

Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave located within Azerbaijan and
predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians, together with seven
Azeri-populated adjacent territories, was occupied by Armenian
forces in a bloody six-year war (1988-1994), leaving 30,000 dead and
nearly 1 million displaced. Since then, negotiations to resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have been ongoing under the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group. The
conflict, however, is at a stalemate, as there has been no progress
in negotiations.

While the Syrian crisis, which escalated from being a 17-month-long
anti-regime protest to a bloody civil war in the region, became a
real headache for Turkey’s national security, Davutoglu’s call for
the conflicting sides to come together received a mixed response
from political analysts. The foreign minister was considered not to
be frank or committed for raising the Nagorno-Karabakh issue while
the Syrian disaster is boiling in Turkey’s backyard.

“With the Syrian crisis and all the chaos that is presently going on
in the region … it seems a bit strange that Davutoglu would suddenly
decide to raise the Karabakh issue,” said Amanda Paul in her recent
column in Today’s Zaman, calling the foreign minister’s suggestion
“unrealistic.”

However, Guner Ozkan, an expert on the Caucasus at the Ankara-based
International Strategic Research Organization (USAK), said the issue
of Nagorno-Karabakh has always been a priority on the Turkish foreign
policy agenda.

“A peaceful solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is directly
related to and of prime importance for the economic growth and common
security and foreign policy in the regions of the South Caucasus and
Central Asia,” Ozkan said.

The foreign minister’s statement came on Aug. 25 directly after
Davutoglu strongly condemned Armenia’s position in the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue in Bishkek while making his speech at the meeting of the Council
of Foreign Ministers within the Summit of the Cooperation Council of
Turkic Speaking States (CCTS) in the Kyrgyz capital on Aug. 23.

In a speech to Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbayev, Azerbaijani
Deputy Foreign Minister Halef Halefov and Kazakh Foreign Minister
Yerzhan Kazykhanov, who were the main participants in the meeting,
Davutoglu said the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and
Armenia is an obstacle standing in the way of stability in the South
Caucasus and Central Asia.

“Nagorno-Karabakh is the main obstacle to achieving peace and stability
in the South Caucasus. The liberation of Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh
and seven adjacent territories remains the main direction of our
foreign policy as we work in this direction, and Turkey fully supports
Azerbaijan on this issue,” Davutoglu said, emphasizing Turkey’s
concern about any failed solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Reiterating Turkey’s role as peace broker in attempts to end regional
conflicts, Efgan Niftiyev, a political analyst at the Ä°stanbul-based
Caspian Strategic Institute, expressed his belief in Davutoglu’s
sincerity and willingness, pointing out, however, that Turkey has
limited options at hand given the nature of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

“Turkey may definitely make a positive contribution to the resolution
of the conflict. … Conflicting parties could sit behind the
negotiation table in Ä°stanbul; however, it does not seem like it
will happen anytime soon,” Niftiyev told Today’s Zaman.

Also holding few expectations for any progress, Richard Giragosian,
director of the Yerevan-based Regional Studies Center (RSC), however,
links any possible breakthrough on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to
the revival of Armenian-Turkish normalization and urges Turkey to
make the first move and to return to negotiations.

“Only a diplomatic breakthrough between Armenia and Turkey offers
the positive trend in the region, and it still holds promise for a
reconfiguration of the geopolitical landscape of the South Caucasus,”
Giragosian said, adding that there is a greater degree of political
will to return to diplomatic negotiations, bolstered by Turkey’s bid
to become more of a regional player.

Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic ties and their mutual border
has been closed since 1993. Turkey closed the border in protest of
the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh. An initiative in 2009 to
normalize bilateral relations failed after Turkey said normalization
depends on a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

ARMENIA’S ALL-FEMALE TEAM AT 2012 PARALYMPICS

ianyan magazine

Aug 31 2012

After coming away with three medals in the 2012 Summer Olympics,
Armenia, along with 163 other nations have stayed put but changed
athletes to participate in the 14th Paralympic Games, the world’s
second largest international sporting event exclusively for athletes
with physical disabilities, including amputations, blindness and
cerebral palsy.

Like most of the former Soviet Union, people with disabilities in
Armenia, although often looked after by the state, remain isolated from
society and stigmatized, which makes the country’s participation since
the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta, Georgia all the more significant.

Swimmer Maga Hovakimyan

This year, Maga Hovakimyan and Greta Vardanyan are representing
Armenia. Hovakimyan, who is 17, will participate in the Women’s 100m
Breaststroke and Vardanyan will participate in Women’s Powerlifting.

Vardanyan, who is married and has one daughter, according to News.am,
has been a professional weightlifter for seven years. She competed
in the Paralympics in Beijing in 2008 and won a silver and bronze
medal at competitions held in the United Arab Emirates in 2011.

According to a report by the British Council [PDF] almost a year
before the Armenia team was chosen and headed to the Paralympics,
Vardanyan was excited to participate in the games.

“Such events do motivate us to exercise and practice more”, the report
quoted her saying.

Powerlifter Greta Vardanyan

Vardanyan lost her legs during the 1988 Spitak Earthquake when she
was just two years old. But that has not deterred her from reaching
her goals. She encourages others to follow her lead.

“My advice is not to give up and continue struggling. My aim is to
show good results in London 2012 and I think it is worth struggling”,
said Greta.

The report calls Hovakimyan a promising swimmer who has chances of
qualifying for top swimming championships, though highlights how
little support she has in her endeavor, with no place to practice or
a professional trainer. Facilities however were granted in hopes of
her participating in the 2012 Paralympic Games.

To countdown Armenia’s participation, British Council representatives,
the British Embassy in Yerevan, the Armenian Paralympic Committee and
Samsung Armenian representation scaled Aragats, Armenia’s highest point
” to confirm their ambition of raising the Armenian flag next year in
London.” It took two hours before they waived their flags from the top.

There was also a photo exhibition which highlighted 22 Armenian
Paralympians and athletes with disabilities that was displayed in
Yerevan and a chance to compete with the Paralympians, too. British
Ambassador to Armenia from 2008 to 2012 Charles Lonsdale participated,
competing with an arm wrestler and eventually winning.

Watch an advertisement for the 2012 Paralympic Games, “Meet the
Superhumans,” below:

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY: UNTIL MOST RECENT, WE HAVE BEEN ASSURED THAT SAFAROV WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE HIS SENTENCE IN HUNGARY

Mediamax

Aug 31 2012
Armenia

Yerevan, August 31. /Mediamax/. About two weeks ago, the Armenian
Foreign Ministry received reports about Hungarian authorities’ decision
to extradite Ramil Safarov, who was serving a life sentence in Budapest
for killing Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan, to Azerbaijan.

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan told this
Mediamax today.

He noted that that immediately after receiving the information, the
Foreign Ministry took steps through official and other channels to
confirm it, holding meetings at various levels. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan
said that following these meetings and until most recent the Armenian
side was assured that Ramil Safarov will continue to serve his sentence
in Hungary.

“The behavior of Hungarian authorities is especially unacceptable given
the fact that the Armenian authorities, expressing extreme concern over
this information, tried to get clarifications from the authorities
of Hungary, and until most recent we’ve heard assurances that this
issue is not on the agenda,” Deputy Foreign Minister told Mediamax.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan declared today that “we suspend
diplomatic relations and all official ties with Hungary”.

“This issue has been discussed during each and every meeting with the
President of Hungary, Speaker of the Parliament, Foreign Minister
and Ambassador of Hungary, and we have been assured on numerous
occasions that such a transfer or a return of a criminal to Azerbaijan
was excluded. We have received that same response to our requests
during our contacts just a few days ago with the representatives of
the Hungarian Foreign Ministry and Parliament. But as a result of
perfidious developments the murderer has turned up in Baku and got
released”, President said.

RUSSIAN MILITARY IN ABKHAZIA, ARMENIA HOLD “INTENSIVE” EXERCISES

Interfax
Aug 29 2012
Russia

Servicemen of the Russian military base in Abkhazia are learning how
to fire howitzers at targets in the mountains, Interfax-AVN quoted
the press service of the Southern Military District.

“At the Russian military base in the Republic of Abkhazia intensive
exercise involving firing and fire control with artillery subunits
is under way,” said a statement received by the agency on 29 August.

It notes that the exercise is being carried out on simulators that
imitate firing from Akatsiya self-propelled howitzers and Grad multiple
launch rocket systems.

Also, according to the press service, at the Russian military base
in Armenia over 150 communication personnel and about 30 units of
hardware are involved in a field exercise.

ARMENIAN GUIDING ADVENTURE

The Huddersfield Daily Examiner
August 28, 2012 Tuesday
UK

ARMENIA isn’t your typical holiday destination.

But for Kirsty Smith her trip to the former Soviet country wasn’t a
holiday as such.

Kirsty, 25, originally from s Honley, was passing on her skills as
a Girl Guide to aspiring Guides in Armenia.

The former Honley High School pupil joined follow Guide leaders from
around the UK for missions to developing countries including Sri Lanka,
Cambodia, Malawi, Tanzania, Gambia and Guyana as well as the former
Soviet Bloc states of Latvia and Armenia.

Kirsty’s trip, part funded by her parents Philip and Merran Smith
and Honley Village Trust, was organised as part of Girlguiding’s
International Opportunities programme.

While in Armenia earlier this month, Kirsty and her Guiding friends
toured camps across the country leading activities and presentations
as well as training new Guide leaders and passing on skills such as
first aid.

Kirsty, who now works as a maths teacher in London, said: “It’s a
mixed country. Some people are very rich and some streets in the
capital are quite Europeanised but beyond that there are lots of
abandoned ex-Soviet buildings.

“It’s not extreme poverty but it’s not wealthy.”

Kirsty, a former student at Greenhead College and an Oxford University
graduate, added: “We were giving young girls a voice in countries
where they might not have one.

“We went to different places and gave girls an experience of Guiding
that they hadn’t had before.

“I didn’t even know where Armenia was but it was amazing. We had the
most wonderful time.

“We didn’t get to do the normal tourist things but the people made
it great. They were so friendly and really glad to have us and
include us.”

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN INVITED AN EXTRAORDINARY MEETING WITH THE HEADS OF DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS

31.08.2012

President Serzh Sargsyan today invited Heads of diplomatic missions
of the UN member States and Heads of the offices of the international
organizations accredited in Armenia for an extraordinary meeting.

During the meeting the President presented them with the position of
the Republic of Armenia and the decision that had been made by the
National Security Council on the covert transfer by the Hungarian
authorities to Azerbaijan of Ramil Safarov, a perpetrator of ethnic
hatred motivated murder of the Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan in
2004 in Budapest.

Remarks by the President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan
at the Meeting with the Heads of Diplomatic Missions Accredited in
the Republic of Armenia

Distinguished Ambassadors:

Unfortunately today we invited you to the President~Rs Office on
an extraordinary occasion. As you should know, an officer of the
Azeri military who had killed Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan,
was transferred to Azerbaijan. The President of Azerbaijan ~V and we
have been warning about it ~V has immediately granted pardon to him.

This has happened because the Government of Hungary, a member State
of the European Union and NATO, has made a deal with the authorities
of Azerbaijan.

I do not want to revisit the circumstances of the murder of Gurgen
Margaryan; you are very well aware of them. As the trial had
demonstrated, the horrendous manslaughter took place only because
Gurgen Margaryan was an Armenian.

Immediately after this crime had been perpetrated the Hungarian
authorities as well as our partners ~V EU and NATO member States, were
continually urging us to refrain from politicizing that process. We
were continually urged to trust the judiciary of Hungary, a member
State to those important alliances.

We have been closely following all the developments around that
criminal. This issue has been discussed during each and every meeting
with the President, Speaker of the Parliament, Foreign Minister and
Ambassador of Hungary, and we have been assured on numerous occasions
that such a transfer or a return of a criminal to Azerbaijan was
excluded. We have received that same response to our requests
during our contacts just a few days ago with the representatives
of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry and Parliament. But as a result
of perfidious developments the murderer has turned up in Baku and
got released.

I have nothing to say about Azerbaijan ~V just plainly nothing. That
country speaks about itself with the actions it takes, and I am not
the one to explain those steps.

Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen:

With their joint actions the authorities of Hungary and Azerbaijan
have opened the door for the recurrence of such crimes. With this
decision they convey a clear message to the butchers. The slaughterers
hereafter are well aware of impunity they can enjoy for the murder
driven by ethnic or religious hatred.

I CAN NOT TOLERATE THAT.

THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA CAN NOT TOLERATE THAT.

THE ARMENIAN NATION WILL NEVER FORGIVE THAT.

I officially announce that as of today we suspend diplomatic relations
and all official contacts with Hungary.

We expect a precise and unambiguous response by all our partners with
regard to this incident.

Anyone who tolerates this, will tomorrow be held responsible to
history.

Half-measures and circumlocution are not acceptable.

We will judge the attitude of our partners towards the security of
the Armenian nation by their response to this incident.

I request you urgently to convey this as my personal message to the
Heads of your States and Governments.

That is all I wanted to say. I do not know if Q&A will make sense or
not? I think it won~Rt since what happened can hardly be accommodated
by a reasonable mind. A country that considers itself developed and
civilized does not have the right to behave this way and it well
deserves proper assessment by its partners.

LARISA ALAVERDYAN: EXTRADITION OF SAFAROV TO AZERBAIJAN IS UNACCERAMIL SAFAROV’S EXTRADITION IS UNACCEPTABLE.

Aysor.am

More than 70 NGOs and people around the world have joined this appeal,
Executive Director of the social organization “Fund against legal
tyranny”, the first Ombudsman of Armenia Larisa Alaverdyan told
journalists today.

In 2004, in Budapest the Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov brutally
hacked to death the officer of the Armed Forces of Armenia Gurgen
Margaryan while the latter was asleep. Both of the officers were
in Hungary taking English courses within the NATO “Partnership for
Peace” program. After that Safarov took analogous attempt of murder
also the second Armenian officer, which, however, was prevented.

According to Larisa Alaverdyan, today the possibility of extradition
is above the average. “It’s a long process, but the messages that we
recently receive, give me reason to assess the probability above the
average. We need to be more careful and organized,” said L.
Alaverdian.

“We wish to remind Hungary that Safarov is a recidivist, he is a
threat to society, even in prison he tried to kill a man, and his
mental abilities are assessed below the average. Therefore, I wish
to warn them that there was no need to review the level of confidence
in their justice at the highest level’, said L. Alaverdian.

Lawyer Nazeli Vardanyan, who defends interests of Gurgen Margaryan’s
family, noted that during the quadrennial court process she came to
the conclusion that Safarov carried out the order of the government.

“Azerbaijan’s attempts to set him free did not come to an end with the
court decision, and if, before the verdict, there were appeals to kill
the Armenians, then after that the anti-Armenian hysteria calmed down,
they realized they would be punished for it, nevertheless after that
Azerbaijan did not miss a single opportunity to raise the question
of Safarov’s extradition,” said N. Vardanyan.

Larisa Alaverdyan informed that they are studying the possibility
of charging Azerbaijan as an accessory to the crime. “During this
time, Azerbaijan didn’t acknowledge Safarov as a criminal, moreover
it considered him a hero. In case if he gets the extradition, we are
sure, he will not serve his sentence and will become a hero,” she said.

The lawyer also stated that in case of extradition Armenian side
will not be able to carry out anything as far as it is a matter of
bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Hungary.

“The authorities should continue the struggle, undertake all necessary
measures in order to avoid Safarov’s extradition to Azerbaijan. We
all know that there he will escape the liability. In 2005, he was even
recognized the Man of the Year in Azerbaijan, which undoubtedly, had
an influence over the tough decision of Hungarian court. Hungary should
take all those circumstances into account,” said Larisa Alaverdyan.

According to lawyer N. Vardanyan, the Justice Ministry, the office
of the Ombudsman and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia have
a lot of work to do.