OSCE MG slams Safarov pardoning as Azeri attempt to glorify crime

OSCE MG slams Safarov pardoning as Azeri attempt to glorify crime

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Robert Bradtke of the United States of America, Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, and Jacques Faure of France) and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, met on September 2 with the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian to address recent events in the region and efforts to peacefully resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The Co-Chairs discussed the August 31 decision of the Government of Azerbaijan to pardon Ramil Safarov, an Azerbaijani army officer who had been serving a life sentence in Hungary for the brutal 2004 murder of an Armenian officer in Budapest. They expressed their deep concern and regret for the damage the pardon and any attempts to glorify the crime have done to the peace process and trust between the sides.

At the meeting, the Armenian Minister stressed Azerbaijan’s grave violation of international laws and agreements as well as own obligations, while hampering OSCE Minsk Group efforts and initiatives for Karabakh conflict settlement, thus seriously threatening peace and security in the region.

The Co-Chairs reiterated that, as their Presidents stated in Los Cabos on June 19, there is no alternative to a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. They will continue to maintain contacts with the sides to reduce tensions and advance the peace process.

On September 3, the co-chairs met with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov.

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