Strong Armenia faction leader Narek Karapetyan used his first speech in Armenia’s National Assembly to outline what he described as the country’s key challenges, proposing the adoption of what he called an “anti-Safarov law.”
According to Karapetyan, achieving peace is important for Armenia, but ensuring the country’s demographic security is equally necessary, Sputnik Armenia reported.
“Many of our colleagues asked why we are creating tension over this issue. Let’s not create tension. We have a proposal: this issue can be resolved with a single law. Let us adopt a law that does not allow Azerbaijani citizens to stay in our country for more than 10 days or to own property or land here. That would settle the issue,” Karapetyan said.
He added that, in his opinion, similar restrictions apply to Armenian citizens in Turkey, where they are not permitted to purchase land.
Karapetyan stressed that concluding a peace agreement with Azerbaijan is important both for Armenia’s development and for securing the return of Armenian detainees held in Baku. At the same time, he argued that the country should anticipate potential risks and prevent the emergence of a demographic presence of Azerbaijani citizens in Armenia.
He also referred to what he said was a recent statement by Azerbaijan’s minister of education and science that “the return of Azerbaijanis to ‘Western Azerbaijan’ is of fundamental importance in shaping a new national identity.” In that context, Karapetyan said adopting the proposed “anti-Safarov law” was important.
In 2004, representatives of former Soviet republics, including delegations from Armenia and Azerbaijan, participated in NATO’s Partnership for Peace training program in Budapest. Armenian Armed Forces officer Gurgen Margaryan was among the participants.
During the training, Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov entered Margaryan’s room at night and killed him with an axe while he was asleep. During his trial in Hungary, Safarov expressed no remorse and said he had killed Margaryan because he was Armenian, claiming that Armenian participants had insulted and mocked him. Hungary later extradited Safarov to Azerbaijan. Although he had been sentenced to life imprisonment, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pardoned him after his return and promoted him in military rank.
