Brussels, March 30, IRNA-The European Union welcomed Wednesday the decree signed on March 20 by President Elham Aliyev of Azerbaijan pardoning prisoners, 53 of whom were designated 'political prisoners' by the Council of Europe.

"The European Union welcomes the fact that the political leaders imprisoned following the events of October 2003 have been freed.

Azerbaijan has thus taken a further step towards meeting its obligations to the Council of Europe," said a statement issued by the current Luxembourg EU Presidency.

"However, the EU remains concerned about the situation of those political prisoners still in custody, and calls on the Azeri government to release them without delay and to fulfill its undertakings to the Council of Europe and the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe)," added the statement.