Prime Minister Viktor Orbán emphasised on Monday that Hungary complied with international regulations regarding Ramil Sahib Safarov’s transfer to Azerbaijan. He added that the rules of international law are shaped openly and not on the basis of secret agreements.

Regarding the sudden and unexpected release of Safarov by Azeri authorities on Friday, the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Administration and Justice released a joint statement emphasising that Safarov’s transfer was prepared and carried out by Hungary transparently and in accordance with international law. Hungary expects the same approach from its international partners the statement added, also underlining the country’s profound respect for Armenia.

Following the international outcry of Armenians, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zsolt Németh asked Vilayat Guliyev, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Hungary to his office to inform him about the position of the Hungarian Government and handed over a diplomatic note to the Ambassador. The diplomatic note stated that Azerbaijan’s actions were in sharp contrast with the assurance received earlier from the Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan in his letter of 15 August 2012, addressed to the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice of Hungary. In this letter the Republic of Azerbaijan, quoting the relevant international Convention, undertook that the sentenced person will serve the remaining part of his prison sentence in the Republic of Azerbaijan and may be released on conditional parole only after he has served at least 25 years of his sentence.

State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó in several television and radio interviews informed the public that every aspect of the transfer was in accordance with the 1983 Strasbourg Convention and was a transparent procedure.  He denied every allegation indicating that the case was influenced by energy relations between Hungary and Azerbaijan.

(Prime Minister’s Office)