14 September 2012, 19:00
European Parliament condemned pardon to Ramil Safarov in Azerbaijan
At a plenary session on September, 13, European Parliament adopted a resolution "on Safarov's case" expressing regret about President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev's decision of pardon to Ramil Safarov who killed Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan in 2004 in Budapest.
"Even if pardon to Ramil Safarov corresponds to the letter of Convention on extradition of convicted persons it contradicts the spirit of this international agreement allowing extradition of persons who were convicted in the territory of one state to another to serve the remaining term of custody", the document runs.
An apprehension is expressed in the resolution that the decision of the President of Azerbaijan which in the opinion of European Parliament is a "violation of diplomatic assurances" to the Government of Hungary by Baku may "cause a growth of tension between the two countries" and undermine all the efforts for settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The parliamentarians also condemned paying honours of a "hero" to Safarov by the authorities of Azerbaijan, RIA "Novosti" reports.
The European parliamentarians also called to the European Union to play a more active role in settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, "Echo of the Caucasus" reports.
