According to Azerbaijani media, the authorities in Baku promoted Gurgen Margaryan’s killer Ramil Safarov to the rank of colonel.
Safarov became widely known following the events of February 19, 2004, when he killed Armenian lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan during a NATO “Partnership for Peace” training program in Budapest. Margaryan, who had served in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia and later in the Ministry of Defense, had begun the course on January 11, 2004. On February 19, Safarov carried out the attack, striking the sleeping Armenian officer with an axe and inflicting fatal wounds. Margaryan is buried in the Yerablur military pantheon in Yerevan.
Safarov was subsequently tried in Hungary and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 30 years. Despite this ruling, he was extradited to Azerbaijan on August 31, 2012 and immediately pardoned. The decision led to the suspension of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Hungary. Hungary later stated that the pardon was the sovereign prerogative of Azerbaijan, while the extradition itself continued to draw criticism.
The pardon prompted expressions of concern from NATO and several European governments, who noted that the decision undermined confidence in cooperative training programs conducted under the Partnership for Peace framework. Upon his return to Azerbaijan, Safarov received public recognition, material benefits, and subsequent professional advancement, reflecting the official reception accorded to him.
In 2017, Hungarian investigative journalists reported evidence of a transfer exceeding $7 million from Azerbaijani sources into a Hungarian bank account around the time of the extradition, raising further questions about the circumstances surrounding his release.
Armenia and Hungary restored diplomatic relations in December 2022 after a meeting between the two countries’ foreign ministers on the sidelines of an OSCE ministerial gathering.
