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 8 years ago, Politics.hu reports.
The MKI’s head, Botond Zakonyi, said that the leaking of the document, which analyzed the diplomatic situation, had been “unfortunate”.
The document, which was on website nol.hu, stated that Hungarian Prime Minister ,Viktor Orban, had met Azeri President, Ilham Aliyev, to discuss the extradition 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.
“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 communications 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 that 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.
