WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United States is extremely troubled by the news that the President of Azerbaijan pardoned Azerbaijani army officer Ramil Safarov, who returned to Baku today following his transfer from Hungary, said Patrick Ventrell, Acting Deputy Spokesperson of the U.S. Department of State.

“Safarov had been serving a life sentence in a Hungarian jail for murdering Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan during a 2004 NATO training event in Budapest. We are expressing our deep concern to Azerbaijan regarding this action and seeking an explanation. We are also seeking further details from Hungary regarding the decision to transfer Safarov to Azerbaijan,” stressed Ventrell. “We condemn any action that fuels regional tensions.”

Earlier Armenian News-NEWS.am reported that Ramil Safarov, a lieutenant in the Azerbaijani military, was recent extradited from Hungary, where he was serving a life sentence with no expression of either regret or remorse for the pre-meditated axe murder of Armenian lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan, in his sleep, during a NATO Partnership for Peace program. As expected, Safarov’s return to Baku was welcomed, as was his act of murder, by officials of Ilham Aliyev’s government and much of Azerbaijani society. The Azerbaijani president immediately pardoned him.