AMSTERDAM. - Dutch deputy PM, Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation Maxime Verhagen urged restraint in the  conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region and expressed concern about the rising tensions due to the granting of amnesty to an Azerbaijani officer who was convicted of murdering an Armenian.

During his last week’s visit to Azerbaijan Verhagen also expressed concern in connection with the growing tension following pardoning a murderer, who had killed an Armenian lieutenant, says the statement on Dutch government’s official website.

He also had discussion with representatives of civil society organizations on the democratic development of Azerbaijan. The European Commission in its recent report criticized the human rights situation and in particular the freedom of expression in Azerbaijan.

Armenian News-NEWS.am reported earlier that Ramil Safarov, a lieutenant in the Azerbaijani military, was extradited on August 31 from Hungary, where he was serving a life sentence—and with no expression of either regret or remorse—for the premeditated axe murder of Armenian lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan, in his sleep, during a NATO Partnership for Peace program in Budapest back in 2004. And Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan announced on August 31 that Armenia is suspending its diplomatic ties with Hungary.