Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 4 / Trend /
Transfer of Safarov and his subsequent pardon were made in accordance with the Constitution and other legislative acts of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in accordance with international obligations, as well as provisions of the Convention of the Council of Europe on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons of 1983, in particular article 12, which states that "each Party may grant pardon, amnesty or commutation of the sentence in accordance with its Constitution or other laws," the statement by Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov said.
He said that unfortunately, Azerbaijani has to deal with the opportunistic approach to a matter regulated directly in the legal field.
"In this regard, attempts of Mr. Nikolai Bordyuzha and others to politicize this issue serve far-reaching plans to cover up the real serious consequences of aggression and egregious crimes committed by Armenia with the support of external forces. Everybody knows that the main reason for the continuing tension in the region is continuing to this day aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, which resulted in the occupation of the territory of Azerbaijan, the expulsion of over a million people from their homes, ethnic cleansing, and many serious crimes which went unpunished. It is these crimes that the roots of human tragedies of thousands of ordinary citizens who have lost loved ones, who remained overnight without property and shelter, one of whom was Safarov, should be looked for in," the deputy minister said.
It should also be noted that the double standards and such statements promote aggression, stir up hatred and prevent a peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Khalafov said.
Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov, who was convicted in Hungary, returned on Friday to Azerbaijan. The same day, under an order of the head of state, he was pardoned.
Earlier on Saturday U.S. President Barack Obama expressed "deep concern" about the fact of pardon of Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of
Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.