[…]
I am deeply concerned by the Azerbaijani decision to pardon the Azerbaijani army officer Safarov. The act he committed in 2004 was a terrible crime that should not be glorified. The pardon damages trust and does not contribute to the peace process. There must be no return to conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Tensions in this region must be reduced, and concrete steps must be taken to promote regional cooperation and reconciliation.
[…]

The decision of the Azerbaijani authorities to pardon and release from liability Ramil Safarov, extradited from the Republic of Hungary,  runs contrary to the international law and questions the viability of the interstate crime suppression system.

This move is clearly made for the sake of political goals and cannot be justified in any way. Moreover, the glorification of criminal will only serve to the  increase of already high regional tension.

I am convinced that the international community will not hesitate to make an objective assessment of what happened.