The governments of Armenia and Hungary on Monday agreed to open embassies in each other’s capitals, seemingly ending a diplomatic standoff between the two countries resulting from Hungary’s decision to extradite Azerbaijani axe murder Ramil Safarov to Baku.
The announcement was made on Monday by Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó during a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan, who is visiting Budapest.
Szijjártó said that, since the restoration of diplomatic relations with Armenia in December 2022, the two countries have been able to take significant progressive steps aimed at the prosperity of the countries’ economy. Armenia and Hungary have signed the program and agreement on economic cooperation and cooperation between the countries.
“Last year, our economic development and turnover reached 70 percent. Hungarian pharmaceutical companies are more active in the Armenian market, increasing their market share. I am glad that we have come to the conclusion that we should mutually open embassies in each other’s capitals. As of now, we have consulates,” Szijjártó said.
He stressed that, because of the positive and effective economic relations between Armenia and Hungary, they believe that the time has come to establish embassies in both countries. Starting from July 2024, a direct flight between the capitals of the two countries will also be launched by Wizz Air.
Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Hungary were established on February 26, 1992. However, they were suspended on August 31, 2012, after Hungary extradited Azerbaijani criminal Ramil Safarov to Azerbaijan.
On December 1, 2022, Mirzoyan and Péter Szijjártó met during the OSCE ministerial forum in Łódź, where they agreed to restore full diplomatic relations. Szijjártó visited Armenia in 2023, and President Vahagn Khachaturyan paid an official visit to Hungary in February.
Hungary has assumed the presidency of the European Union for 2024.
Mirzoyan said during the joint press conference that Yerevan is confident that programs launched between Armenia and the EU will progress during Hungary’s presidency.
“I am sure you are aware that we are engaged in a process that essentially brings Armenia closer to the EU and the EU closer to Armenia. At the moment, we have a new set of initiatives on our table. Here, we greatly hope and rely on Hungary’s upcoming presidency in the European Union. We are confident that the issues and planned programs will progress with tangible steps during your presidency as well,” said Mirzoyan.
Yet diplomatic sources reported last week that Hungary will block the European Union from providing modest military assistance to Armenia, which after months of deliberations the EU earlier this year to approve such “non-lethal” aid from its European Peace Facility, a special fund designed to boost EU partners’ defense capacity.
A diplomatic source, who did not want to be identified, told Azautyun.am last week that Hungary has for weeks been vetoing the decision and demanding that similar aid also be allocated to Azerbaijan. EU leaders are considering meeting Budapest’s demand in hopes of overcoming the deadlock, added the source.
Armenia cut off diplomatic relations with Hungary in 2012 after Budapest extradited Azerbaijani soldier Ramil Safarov, who was serving a sentence after being convicted of killing—with an axe—an Armenian military officer, Lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan while both were taking part in NATO’s Partnership for Peace military training exercises in 2004.
Gurgen Margaryan was asleep in his room when Safarov attacked him with an axe.
During the trial in Hungary, Safarov admitted in court to having killed Margaryan because of his hatred towards Armenia and Armenians. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Hungarian court. However, in 2012 Hungary extradited him to Azerbaijan upon Baku’s request.
Upon his arrival in Baku, Safarov was pardoned by President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and received a hero’s welcome. On the same day, then-President of Armenia Serzh Sarkisian severed diplomatic relations with Hungary.
Azerbaijan’s Justice Ministry at the time had assured officials in Hungary that Safarov would continue to serve his sentence in Azerbaijan. However, hours after his arrival on an Azerbaijani Airways special flight, Aliyev signed an order to pardon Safarov. The pardon was effective from the day of signing. Safarov’s pardon contradicted Azerbaijani criminal code, according to which prisoners serving a life sentence can be freed only after having served a period of a minimum of 25 years.
An investigation in 2017, led by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, revealed that several bank transfers—in excess of $7 million—were made to a Budapest bank account around the time the Hungarian government extradited Safarov to Azerbaijan.
As part of the investigation into what became know as the “Azerbaijani Laundromat”—a nearly $3 billion slush fund tied to Azerbaijan’s ruling elite and used to buy influence around the world—Hungarian investigative journalism NGO Átlátszó.hu revealed that the Budapest bank account belonged to an offshore company owned by the son of an influential Azerbaijani politician.
According to the OCCRP report, more than $7 million was transferred to the account in 2012 right around the time the Hungarian government struck its deal with Azerbaijani authorities, allowing for Safarov’s extradition. The offshore company was already shuttered at the time of the investigation.
Hungary and Azerbaijan remain close partners, with Hungarian leaders voicing support for Baku’s violent attack on Artsakh that resulted in the 44-Day War.
When Yerevan began to intensify its relations with the European Union, Armenia made overtures to Hungary, an EU member, and signaled the Armenian government’s willingness to restore ties.
