Armenia plans to open an embassy in Hungary, a major step in restoring diplomatic relations between the two countries.

While the Armenian government today approved a bill, introduced by the foreign ministry to do so, no timeframe was specified.  

Armenia severed diplomatic relations with Hungary in 2012, following Budapest’s 2012 extradition to Azerbaijan of Ramil Safarov, who was convicted of the murder of Armenian lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan in Hungary in 2004.

During a NATO-sponsored training seminar in Budapest, Safarov broke into Margaryan's dormitory room at night and axed him to death while he was asleep. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pardoned Safarov upon his return to Baku, promoted him to the rank of major, gave him an apartment and eight years of back pay.

Armenia immediately cut diplomatic relations with Hungary and demonstrators in Yerevan burned Hungarian flags and pelted the Hungarian consulate with eggs.

Armenia and Hungary agreed to restore diplomatic relations in 2022.

Armenia’s foreign ministry, in a statement today, notes that Hungary, as an EU country, is of vital significance for Armenia and that Yerevan wants to expand ongoing political dialog with Budapest.

Hungary’s ambassador to Armenia currently resides in Tbilisi. Armenia’s Ambassador to Georgia Ashot Smbatyan also serves as Armenia’s ambassador to Hungary.

Photo: Hungarian FM Péter Szijjártó, Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan meet in Lodz, Poland, 2022. (Armenian Foreign Ministry)