* Clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia raise fears of
conflict
* Released solder given hero’s welcome
* Pardon prompts concern from United States and Russia
By Gleb Bryanski
MOSCOW, Sept 3 (Reuters) – International mediators from the
Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said on
Monday that Azerbaijan’s decision to pardon an Azeri soldier who
killed an Armenian officer had damaged the peace process in the
region.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds since the war
between ethnic Azeris and Armenians that erupted in 1991 over
the mainly Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. A ceasefire was
signed in 1994 but new cross-border clashes this year have
prompted worries of a resumption of fighting.
Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, last week pardoned
Ramil Safarov, who had been sentenced to life in prison in
Hungary for the 2004 killing of Armenian officer Gurgen
Markaryan during NATO training but was sent back to Azerbaijan.
Armenia suspended diplomatic relations with Hungary, calling
Hungary’s decision to send back Safarov “a grave mistake”.
Safarov was given a hero’s welcome in Azerbaijan, where
thousands of people took to the streets to greet him in his
native city of Sumgait. The government promoted Safarov to the
rank of major and paid his salary for eight years.
The OSCE Minsk group, which includes representatives of the
United States, Russia and France and is mediating between
Armenia and Azerbaijan, met the two countries’ foreign ministers
after the pardon threatened to inflame tensions.
“They (Minsk Group representatives) 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,” the group said in a statement.
Azerbaijan said its president acted in line with the law and
dismissed criticism from the Europe, Russia and United States –
as well as Armenia’s reaction.
“The hysterical approach of the Armenian leadership was
targeted at the local population and was meant to be a populist
political show,” Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman
Abdullayev said.
The White House said on Friday President Barack Omama was
“deeply concerned” by the pardon, saying in a statement: “This
action is contrary to ongoing efforts to reduce regional
tensions and promote reconciliation.”
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during a visit
to Armenia in June that violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan
could lead to a broader regional conflict.
Armenia’s regional ally Russia expressed concern on Monday
over “possible negative consequences” of the decisions made by
Azeri and Hungarian authorities, as well as impact they may have
on stability in the region.
“When it comes to the U.S. position, we still do not
understand the third countries’ interference … I do not think
that the U.S. position is understandable,” Abdullayev said,
reiterating that the handover and pardon were within the law.
Hungary, as well as other Western countries, has been
developing economic ties with energy-rich Azerbaijan, which is
host to oil majors including BP, Chevron and
ExxonMobil.
