From Nizamaddin Shamsizadeh and others, Baku, Azerbaijan

Dear Mr. President!

We received the news of the extradition to Azerbaijan of officer Ramil Safarov, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Budapest city court and spent eight years in a maximum security prison, and his pardon by your executive order with a sense of gratitude and appreciation.

This humane step taken in accordance with the European Convention, international law and the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan is essentially a timely, courageous and just decision. Despite having limited opportunities in the last eight years, Ramil Safarov, who was doing translations from the Hungarian language, has proved in response to the black PR campaign of the Armenian lobby that that he is a decisive officer and a true intellectual. His translations of world-famous writer Magda Szabo’s novel “The Door” and Ferenc Molnar’s “Boys from the Pal street” are a major contribution to Azerbaijani-Hungarian literary and cultural relations. It should be stressed that we will always be grateful to the Hungarian state and people who are highly sensitive to the translations of R. Safarov and have displayed humanity in the matter of his extradition.

Armenia, who has perpetrated the Khojaly genocide and a tragedy in Baganis-Ayrim, massacred tens of thousands of our citizens and occupied our lands, is flouting UN resolutions and talking about European values today. It “puts pressure” on Western countries and demonstrates a political show of revenge. All this reveals new insidious plans of this country.

Mr. President! Your unwavering and unequivocal attitude to the feat of Mubariz Ibrahimov and the extradition and pardoning of Ramil Safarov are a shining example of service to the ideas of national statehood. We support your wise policy and fruitful activity which serves national interests. We wish you success in the cause of unity and progress of our nation and express our gratitude to you.

Sincerely,

Nizamaddin Shamsizadeh - Professor, laureate of the State Prize
Maharram Gasimli - Professor, laureate of the State Prize
Gazanfar Pashayev - Doctor of Philology, Professor
Islam Agaev - Doctor of Philology, Professor
Asif Rustamli - Doctor of Philology

Baku, the Republic of Azerbaijan