 On 31 August 2012 Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan announced that Armenia is suspending diplomatic relations and all official contacts with Hungary.Zardusht Alizade, an Azeri political scientist, said that Safarov would have been a national hero, if not recognized as someone who had committed a crime, for which he must be punished.Elmira Süleymanova, the human rights commissioner (ombudsman) of Azerbaijan, declared that Safarov's punishment was far too harsh and that "Safarov must become an example of patriotism for the Azerbaijani youth."