Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan thanked the Hungarian justice system for its unequivocal and fair stance regarding the murder case of the Armenian lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan, killed by an Azeri officer Ramil Safarov during the NATO English courses in Budapest in 2004.

In his speech delivered to the President of Hungary Laszlo Solyom during his three-day official visit to Budapest, Sargsyan noted that at the time of the murder, he was the Defense Minister of Armenia and that “the horrendous crime shocked him to the core.”

“It is tragic that the unspeakable crime such as this one can be praised by some individuals as a heroic act. I am confident, that had not the Hungarian justice adopted such a resolute position, that kind of atrocity might be occurring in other countries as well,” said Sargsyan November 9.

To note, this is the first state visit to this Central European country on the level of the President of Armenia since the country’s independence.

In his official speech Sargsyan also said that Armenia attaches great importance to the further development of the Armenian-Hungarian relations in political, economic and cultural areas.

“With the President of Hungary we spoke also about a number of regional issues, stressing the importance of stability and cooperation and the resolution of the existing conflicts by peaceful means and through negotiations, based on the principles and norms of international law. We expressed confidence that the conflicts must be solved based on just and durable solutions, which is possible only if they are based on the human rights and peoples’ will rather than on political expediency,” he said.

Among the mutual agreements to be signed between Armenia and Hungary President Sargsyan said he would like to invite special attention to the agreement on the avoidance of double taxation, which is one of the basic documents for trade and economic cooperation.

“The agreements signed in the areas of justice and agriculture will also bring their contribution to the development of the multifaceted cooperation between Armenia and Hungary. I hope that the Armenian-Hungarian business forum that opens today in Budapest, as well as contacts and agreements established in the framework of the forum, will also become a serious impetus for the strengthening of economic ties between our two countries.

“Taking into consideration the fact that Hungary is an EU country, while Armenia is involved in the initiatives which facilitate cooperation with the EU structures, we reached the agreement to view possibilities of cooperation within that framework, as well as in the framework of the European Neighborhood and Eastern Partnership programs.”

Source- www.president.am