The official Baku's statement, that it was acting within the frames of the Azerbaijani legislation and international norms in the matter of Ramil Safarov's pardoning, directly insults international law, Armenian first human rights defender, Larisa Alaverdyan, told Arminfo correspondent.

Anders Fogh Rassmusen visits region at a time of heightened tensions and political controversy.

The U.S. Department of State has maintained contacts with the authorities of Azerbaijan in connection with pardoning and promoting the Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov from Hungary, Patrick Ventrell, Acting Deputy Spokesperson, said at Daily Press Briefing in Washington.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hopes that tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the pardoned killer of an Armenian soldier would not affect the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, his spokesman Martin Nesirky said on Thursday.

"Amnesty International is concerned that the actions of the Azerbaijani government following the extradition of Armed Forces Lieutenant Ramil Safarov will be perceived as an endorsement of ethnically- motivated violence," reads the statement by the Amnesty International.

"The region still faces great security challenges:And the most pressing regional challenge remains finding a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in his speech at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, in Baku, Azerbaijan, Firday, NATO official website reports.

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) of the Council of Europe wishes to express consternation at the pardoning and release of Ramil Safarov, shortly after he had been transferred from Hungary to Azerbaijan in order to serve there a sentence of life imprisonment imposed by a Budapest court for the murder of a Armenian army officer in 2004.

A "light" cyber war has been held between Armenia and Azerbaijan for the last week, in which both parties suffer DDoS attack, director of the company "ABC domain" Hasmik Alaverdyan told Arminfo correspondent.

The pardon of Ramil Safarov was not a signal for war but just an attempt to frighten Armenia, Kiro Manoyan, Head of ARFD Bureau's Hay Dat and Political Affairs Office, told journalists on Thursday.

The authorities of Armenia are resolute to extend partnership with USA, speaker of the Armenian parliament, Hovik Abrahamyan, said over today's meeting with American congressman Dan Barton. He also added it is necessary to deepen bilateral relations in the sphere of security, trade and economy and culture and education.