President Ilham Aliyev visits Embassy of Iran in Azerbaijan, offers his condolences over death of Iranian President and other individuals in helicopter crash [PHOTOS/VIDEO]

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev visited the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the country to offer his condolences over the tragic death of Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other accompanying individuals in a helicopter crash, Azernews reports.

Seyyed Jafar Aghaee, Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Azerbaijan, welcomed the head of state.

The President of Azerbaijan signed a book of condolence.

Then, speaking with the Chargé d'Affaires of the embassy, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- The tragic death of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, deeply shook us all. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other individuals tragically died with him. May Allah rest their souls in peace. I express my condolences to the people of Iran. This is a huge loss. This is a loss not only for the people and state of Iran, but also for the entire Muslim world.

Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi was a prominent statesman, an outstanding politician, and a great personality who had won the trust of the Iranian people. Our numerous meetings always left a great impression on me. My last meeting with him was a historic one. Both he and I described it as a historic meeting. Our joint participation in the opening of a large infrastructure project at the state border indicated how strong Iran-Azerbaijan relations are. It was a very clear message to both our peoples and the whole world that we are friends and brothers, and that we will continue to be together. After the opening ceremony, both the late President Raisi's and my official statements had very serious political implications. Both Presidents openly stated that the countries located in the region should actively participate in the future development of this region.

This tragedy, of course, is a huge pain, both for his relatives and those who knew him. But what is comforting is that he dedicated his life to the development of the Iranian people. He played a special role in defending the national interests of the Iranian state. Both during his term as President and in the previous periods, he sought to improve the well-being of the Iranian people and played a major role in protecting national interests.

As you are aware, we were together for more than two hours just before this tragedy occurred. During the bilateral meeting, which lasted more than an hour, many important issues were discussed. The future directions of the development of Iran-Azerbaijan relations were reaffirmed and the strong political will of both sides was demonstrated again. At the same time, we had a broad exchange of views on specific infrastructure projects and made important decisions. I am confident that those who participated in that meeting will convey this to the new leadership of Iran. I am sure that all the agreements reached will be implemented because they are based on the interests of the people of Iran and Azerbaijan. We expressed our firm determination during the conversation with the late President Raisi that from now on there would be a significant number of large projects, both bilaterally and multilaterally.

Unfortunately, he was not lucky enough to see the implementation of future projects. Everyone has to accept fate. However, let me say again, the comforting factor is that he sacrificed his life for the development of Iran, and in our memory, in the memory of the people of Iran and the people of Azerbaijan, he will remain as a bright personality, a great statesman, and a great friend of the state and people of Azerbaijan. Please accept my condolences again. May Allah rest his soul in peace.

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Seyyed Jafar Aghaee expressed his gratitude to the President of Azerbaijan for visiting the embassy and offering his condolences.