The Region in Brief

Armenia

Armenia and Hungary have agreed to restore diplomatic ties, which were cut following the extradition of Ramil Safarov to Azerbaijan in 2012. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Hungarian counterpart Péter Szijjártó reached the agreement on the sidelines of an OSCE summit in Poland on December 1. They expressed “their intention to open a new chapter in their relations based on mutual trust and respect toward international law,” according to a statement from both foreign ministries. Safarov brutally murdered Armenian lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan with an axe in his sleep in 2004, while both men were attending the NATO Partnership for Peace program in Budapest. Safarov was sentenced to life in prison yet returned to Azerbaijan after serving eight years in prison in Hungary. Upon his arrival in Baku, Safarov was pardoned by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, promoted to major and awarded eight years’ compensation and an apartment.