Safarov was acting under Azeri leader’s orders, expert says

PanARMENIAN.Net - Axe-killer Ramil Safarov was a mere puppet in Azerbaijan’s leader’s hands, acting under Ilham Aliyev’s orders, a political analyst believes.

As Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan told a news conference, Safarov case is being misrepresented, when in reality, the criminal merely got his payment for executing presidential order 8,5 years ago.

“Safarov was Azeri way of suggesting no Armenian can be at rest until Baku gains control of Karabakh,” the expert said.

Ramil Safarov, the Azerbaijani army officer who was serving a life sentence in Hungary for axing to death Armenian Lt. Gurgen Margaryan, was extradited to Azerbaijan and pardoned by President Ilham Aliyev.

Official Yerevan reacted by suspending diplomatic ties with Hungary.

Hungary, however, states that it had sent Safarov back to Azerbaijan after receiving assurances from the Azerbaijani Justice Ministry that Safarov's sentence, which included the possibility of parole after 25 years, would be enforced.

According to some reports, Safarov was extradited to Azerbaijan in exchange for Azeri purchase of Hungarian securities worth Euro 2-3 billion, an information official Budapest denies.