Menu
Latest
Menu
Latest
Leaked foreign affairs report of Budapest suggests Azeri president misled Hungary

Leaked foreign affairs report of Budapest suggests Azeri president misled Hungary

11 September 2012

A restricted document issued by the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (MKI), leaked by news website nol.hu on Friday, indicates that Hungarian authorities were misled by Azerbaijan in connection with the handover of the Azeri officer who killed an Armenian officer in Hungary eight years ago.

The document, according to nol.hu, stated that Prime Minister Viktor Orban had met Azeri President Ilham Aliyev to discuss the repatriation of the prisoner. The president had promised him that the life-sentenced Ramil Safarov would be kept behind bars. Safarov was pardoned and released on arrival to this homeland.  Hungary condemned the release in a diplomatic note two days later, but Armenia nevertheless suspended diplomatic relations with Hungary over the case.

The MKI report concluded that Hungary had been misled by the Azeri president, nol.hu reported, citing a copy of the document. It added that Hungary was surprised by Safarov's release and needed 24 hours to formulate an official government position on the matter. The report added that Azerbaijan had tried to give the false impression there had been an agreement with Hungary on Safarov's release.  "Azerbaijan is much more important to Hungary at the moment than vice versa,," the report said, adding that for this reason Budapest would not openly say that the Azeri president had misled Orban. 

The MKI suggested that Hungary should pursue a communcations strategy which made it plain that the release had been made without Hungary's consent. "We must speak of a misunderstanding," the report said.  The report said it was clear that relations between Hungary and Armenia would be icy for a period of time but it added that in the medium-term relations could be revived through hard work. 

The MKI's head Botond Zakonyi said the leaking of the document, which analysed the diplomatic situation, had been "unfortunate". The Institute, a government agency for foreign affairs, regularly issues such reports on key affairs of Hungarian diplomacy, he added.

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Van der Leyen to Pashinyan "You can count on us"
Trending

Van der Leyen to Pashinyan "You can count on us"

3 July 2026
The president of the European Commission, Ursual von der Leyen, on Thursday (2 July) made a short visit to the Armenian Capital, Yerevan, during which she met the Armenian leader, Nicol Pashinyan. This was Van der Leyen's second visit to Armenia in as many months. During the visit the President of the European Commission reiterated Europe's support for Pashinyan and his government, following the recent elections: On 7 June, the people of Armenia spoke clearly. They chose democracy. The rule of law. They chose reform and peace. They chose an open, welcoming, and inclusive society. And they chose to partner with the European Union. And together, we must now turn their aspirations into results. You can count on us.  Speaking ata joint press conference after her meeting, Van der Leyen said: "First of all, I want to congratulate you on your electoral victory. These elections have shown, once again, the strength of Armenia's democracy. The spirit of the Velvet Revolution which you led in 2018 is alive and well. Armenia is carrying on the path of democracy, reform, peace, and of a closer partnership with Europe. And I am here to tell you: you can count on us. While Armenia is coming closer to the EU, the South Caucasus is coming closer together. The initialling of the peace agreement last year was a history-making moment. The most consequential step this region has taken in decades. The same goes for the continued normalisation of relations with Türkiye. These decisions required political courage and leadership. And I know their rewards will be immense. Opening borders will transform Armenia's economic future. And it will anchor Armenia at the heart of one of the world's most strategic crossroads. We will stand by you to turn this vision into reality." (click image to read more)

Popular

Editor's choice
Interview
Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov
Trending

Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

15 January 2026
Today, commonspace.eu starts a new regular weekly series. THURSDAY INTERVIEW, conducted by Lauri Nikulainen, will host  persons who are thinkers, opinion shapers, and implementors in their countries and spheres. We start the series with an interview with Murad Muradov, a leading person in Azerbaijan's think tank community. He is also the first co-chair of the Action Committee for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue. Last September he made history by being the first Azerbaijani civil society activist to visit Armenia after the 44 day war, and the start of the peace process. Speaking about this visit Murad Muradov said: "My experience was largely positive. My negative expectations luckily didn’t play out. The discussions were respectful, the panel format bringing together experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey was particularly valuable during the NATO Rose-Roth Seminar in Yerevan, and media coverage, while varied in tone, remained largely constructive. Some media outlets though attempted to represent me as more of a government mouthpiece than an independent expert, which was totally misleading.  Overall, I see these initiatives as important steps in rebuilding trust and normalising professional engagement. The fact that soon a larger Azerbaijani civil society visits to Armenia followed, reinforces the sense that this process is moving in the right direction." (click the image to read the interview in full)
Murad Muradov
Lauri Nikulainen interviews Murad Muradov