BRUSSELS -- The European Parliament has passed a resolution deploring the pardoning of an Azerbaijani officer who killed an Armenian serviceman in Hungary eight years ago.
The resolution says the decision to release Ramil Safarov is "a gesture which could contribute to further escalation of the tensions" between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
EU lawmakers also said they considered the presidential pardon given to Safarov after his return from Hungary, where he had been sentenced to life imprisonment, as "a violation of the diplomatic assurances given to the Hungarian authorities."
The European Parliament says that an agreement that would deepen the relationship between Baku and Brussels, currently being negotiated, should "include clauses and benchmarks relating to the protection and promotion of human rights and the rule of law."
The resolution says the decision to release Ramil Safarov is "a gesture which could contribute to further escalation of the tensions" between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
EU lawmakers also said they considered the presidential pardon given to Safarov after his return from Hungary, where he had been sentenced to life imprisonment, as "a violation of the diplomatic assurances given to the Hungarian authorities."
The European Parliament says that an agreement that would deepen the relationship between Baku and Brussels, currently being negotiated, should "include clauses and benchmarks relating to the protection and promotion of human rights and the rule of law."
