Rafik Hasanov, the 19 year-old Azerbaijani soldier who is reported to have crossed into Armenia on October 8th, now says he wants to stay in Armenia and become an Armenian citizen. Late Thursday, Armenian Public TV broadcast excerpts from an interview that Hasanov said was videotaped the previous day at his own request in which he states, "I have willingly come to Armenia and am going to become an Armenian citizen," declared Hasanov. "I will not return to Azerbaijan because they beat and humiliate me there." In the videotape Hasanov adds that, "I am treated well and receive medical assistance in Armenia, and I want to send my warm regards to my parents, relatives, friends and tell them not worry about me: they don’t beat me, they treat me well here," he said before reading out a poem dedicated to his family. The Defense Ministry in Yerevan released the full transcript of the interview, translated from the Azerbaijani language, on Friday. There was no immediate reaction by either the Azerbaijani government or the military. While instances of Azerbaijani soldiers fleeing their units to avoid mistreatment by their commanders and comrades are reported by the Armenian military on a regular basis, it is the first time that an Azerbaijani serviceman claims to be seeking permanent asylum in Armenia.