European Union off Target with Azeri Kid-Glove Treatment
Opinion | September 19, 2012 9:54 am
By Edmond Y. Azadian
Outrage among Armenians and some human rights groups continue around
the globe against the Hungarian government’s reckless violation of
international law, parallel to the outrage in the Islamic world,
triggered by the release of a video insulting the prophet Mohammed.
Armenian outrage remains below the radar of the international news
media, as opposed to the Islamic one, because the latter takes place
in countries that affect the Western interests, i.e. countries that
provide oil and host military bases.
The protest movement against the Hungarian government’s remanding
convicted murderer Ramil Safarov to authorities in Azerbaijan and the
latter country’s hero’s welcome for him took on a life of its own,
beyond Armenian anger, because it undermined the European legal system
and moral norms. Also, it provided ammunition to the opposition in
Hungary, which joined the Armenians in protesting the government’s
actions in Budapest.
The Hungarian opposition has been demanding the resignation of Prime
Minister Victor Orban, touching a raw nerve. That is why Hungary’s
Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi, adding insult to injury, has
threatened Armenia with `serious ramifications’ for severing
diplomatic relations with Budapest.
The Hungarian government’s shoddy handling of the Safarov case and the
failure of its economic policies domestically may indeed hasten the
overthrow of the present administration. If that happens, no tears
will be shed in Yerevan.
This brewing crisis coincided with the visit of Mr. Anders Fogh
Rasmussen, NATO’s secretary general, to the Caucasus. In Yerevan he
bluntly condemned President Ilham Aliyev’s actions, and he repeated
the same comments in Baku. That helped tempers to cool down in Yerevan
to a certain extent. But his comments did not go further than `deep
concern’ rather than what he should have said, `serious
ramifications.’ What is more disturbing is that the secretary general
did not assume any responsibility on behalf of NATO, even though the
crime was committed during a NATO-led language program, by one member
of the military against another, Lt. Gourgen Markarian, who had been
invited to Hungary by NATO for training.
In addition to Mr. Rasmussen’s inconsequential statement, the European
Parliament, in its turn, condemned the Safarov pardon. In its lengthy
resolution, the European Parliament specifically states that it
`deplores the decision by the president of Azerbaijan to pardon Ramil
Safarov, a convicted murderer sentenced by the courts of a Member
State of the European Union’ and that it `is further concerned that
this act is jeopardizing all peaceful reconciliation processes within
the society’s concern and may undermine the possible future
developments of peaceful people-to-people contact in the region.’
This resolution was debated in the Armenian Parliament, where members
expressed some satisfaction that the European Parliament had moved
finally from its inertia towards a more assertive position.
The resolution did not make a dent in Azerbaijan’s position, however,
because Mr. Aliyev’s least worry is that his actions may jeopardize
the peace process. Thus far, he has been thumbing his nose at the
civilized world because his main intention is to disrupt any
peace initiative anyway. War would be welcome there for many reasons,
including bolstering his domestic position and the hope for seizing
Artsakh.
The European Union resolution did not go far enough. In fact, it was
off target, because in the first place it absolved Hungary, which
supposedly had acted within the norms of international law. Second,
there were no consequences brought against Azerbaijan for blatantly
violating those norms of international law.
President Aliyev has cited a dissimilar case to justify his action,
that of Varoujan Garabedian who was jailed in France for terrorist
activities, and who upon being pardoned supposedly by the Armenian
government, was granted asylum in 2001. The truth of the matter is
that Garabedian, after serving part of his sentence in France, was
pardoned by the French authorities and settled in Armenia as a free
man. The Aliyev government has also cynically stated that `Hungary is
member of NATO and EU and those structures could demand more from
Azerbaijan but did not.’
In the first draft of the resolution, Hungary was also mentioned as a
responsible party, but later on, Hungary was absolved, perhaps under
pressure from its friends, threatening to vote against the resolution.
Every time Azerbaijan has violated the ceasefire agreement of 1994
with Armenia, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE), NATO, the European Union and the US have always resorted to
verbal parity, cautioning both parties to restrain themselves, instead
of addressing the aggressor. On the very same day that Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton visited Yerevan this summer, Azerbaijan violated
the ceasefire and killed six Armenian soldiers on Armenian soil
guarding its border. The secretary of state, cold bloodedly, sang the
same refrain, without any criticism of the perpetrator.
The European Parliament’s resolution and most of the statements coming
from the West veer from the target, and rather than warning of
consequences, they express pity that the violations – and even the
crime – will jeopardize the peace negotiations. The European
Parliament has resorted to the same trick as the US government. US
State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland has announced that the
US has been in contact with the Azerbaijani government, appealing to
the latter to honor its agreement with Hungary. Clearly the US has the
wherewithal to take action and force the Azeri government to meet its
international obligation rather than begging for positive action.
When elections took place in Armenia, the US government considered it
its proprietary right to meddle in Armenia’s internal affairs and took
punitive measures by curtailing Millennium Challenge Fund monies as
the elections were not wholly transparent, hurting the agrarian sector
in Armenia, the most vulnerable segment of the economy.
The US has the same leverage with Azerbaijan; it can cut its annual
aid or, even more effectively, apply Section 907 of Freedom Support
Act suspended by President George W. Bush citing Azerbaijan’s good
behavior. The same presidential privilege has been exercised by
President Barack Obama even after Azerbaijan’s reckless behavior as
international outlaw.
Condemnation has its place but all protests must request action;
actions by NATO, by the European Union and by the US. They are all
failed at best and they are all off the target in focusing the issue
in the wrong direction.
http://www.mirrorspectator.com/2012/09/19/european-union-off-target-with-azeri-kid-glove-treatment/