US Congressman Howard Berman, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote a letter to the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday, September 27 calling for Azerbaijan's suspension from the NATO Partnership for Peace Program and ending arms sales to Azerbaijan, TURAN's Washington correspondent has learned from the House sources.
"The letter follows the recent pardoning of Azerbaijani axe-murderer Ramil Safarov and his promotion to the rank of major in the Azerbaijani military", said the representative of the Congressman's office, who confirmed the news.
Congressman in his statement called President Aliyev's move over the Safarov pardoning "appalling".
"Aliyev's action makes a mockery of justice and shows contempt for NATO and its members, as well as for NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) program and all states that participate in it. The State Department appropriately issued a strong condemnation of Azerbaijan's pardon. In my view, however, the abhorrent nature of this pardon, as well as the gruesome nature of the original crime and the context in which it occurred, demands something more. It demands a strong and meaningful response", noted the Congressman in the letter.
Accordingly, he added "in light of the fact that this unprovoked and horrific murder occurred at a PfP event, I urge you to arrange for a joint protest to President Aiyev by all members of NATO. Second, I urge that NATO suspend Azerbaijan from all participation in PfP events unless and until Aliyev rescinds the pardon and promotion and re-incarcerates the killer, or returns him to Hungary, to serve the remainder of his life sentence".
Further, the Congressman strongly encouraged the State Department "immediately to halt all military assistance and arms transfers to Azerbaijan".
"President Aliyev's action, in its callous disregard for Armenian life, obliterates any near-term hopes for building trust between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It thus undermines attempts to foster peace in the volatile Caucasus region. It likewise serves to remind us that a peaceful resolution regarding Nagorno Karabakh must provide adequate security safeguards against Azerbaijani aggression", he noted. -0-
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