Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited the Iranian Embassy today, where he met Chargé d'Affaires of the Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan Seyyed Jafar Aghaee.
Ilham Aliyev offered his condolences over the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a helicopter crash.
"The tragic death of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, deeply shook us all. 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," Ilham Aliyev said.
The Azerbaijani leader noted that Raisi was a prominent statesman, an outstanding politician, and a great personality. He recalled that their last meeting was a historic one - the presidents inaugurated two hydroelectric facilities on the Araz River.
He expressed confidence that all the agreements reached with Raisi will be implemented because they are based on the interests of the people of Iran and Azerbaijan.
"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," Ilham Aliyev said.
After the opening ceremony, the sides stressed that the countries located in the region should actively participate in the future development of this region. The Azerbaijani leader noted that Raisi 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," Ilham Aliyev said.
According to the Azerbaijani head of state, during their last bilateral meeting many important issues were discussed, the future directions of the development of Iran-Azerbaijan relations were reaffirmed and the strong political will of Baku and Tehran was demonstrated again.
"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," Ilham Aliyev said.
Raisi was not lucky enough to see the implementation of future projects, he noted.
"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," Ilham Aliyev said.
The President of Azerbaijan offered his condolences and signed a book of condolence.
