Azernews.Az

The adoption of a European Parliament resolution expressing regret over the pardon of Azerbaijani military officer Ramil Safarov -- who was transferred to his home country after being jailed for killing an Armenian officer in Hungary in 2004 -- is a politicized move, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev has said.

"The actions taken by Azerbaijan on this issue comply with all international conventions," Abdullayev told media on Friday. "The case on Ramil Safarov is closed for Azerbaijan."

"Azerbaijan urges MEPs to get to the root of the matter," he said.

Abdullayev noted that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is at the root of Safarov's case. "The international community must understand that the conflict will be resolved after Armenian troops are withdrawn from Azerbaijani territory."

"Availing of all opportunities, Armenia is trying to maintain the status quo [in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict]," Abdullayev added.

The European Parliament passed a resolution on Safarov's case at a plenary session in Strasbourg on Thursday, expressing regret over Baku's decision to pardon him. According to the European Parliament, concern was expressed in the resolution that the decision may exacerbate tension between the two countries and undermine the efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The EP resolution also expressed support for the mediating OSCE Minsk Group's efforts for a peaceful settlement of the long-standing conflict.

Safarov hails from Jabrayil, one of Azerbaijan's regions that are under Armenian occupation. Safarov, 35, who participated in NATO exercises in 2004 in Hungary, was charged with the murder of Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan, who insulted the Azerbaijani flag. A Budapest court sentenced Safarov to life imprisonment without the right to parole for 30 years. On August 31, Hungary extradited Safarov to Azerbaijan, where he was pardoned by President Ilham Aliyev.

Safarov's handover has angered Armenia, and President Serzh Sargsyan followed up by saying that Yerevan was suspending diplomatic relations with Budapest.

The Nagorno Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The two countries fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a precarious cease-fire in 1994. Armenian armed forces have since occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno Karabakh, defying international calls and UN resolutions. Peace talks, brokered by the United States, Russia and France through the OSCE Minsk Group, have been largely fruitless so far.