Azerbaijani President expresses his condolences to the Gashimov family

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased German grandmaster Vugar Gashimov, AzerTadzh reports. The letter to the Gashimov family reads:

"Dear Qasim Gashimov,

I am deeply saddened by the untimely death of your son, the prominent Azerbaijani chess player and three-time champion of Azerbaijan, Chess Grandmaster Vugar Gashimov.

Vugar Gashimov's merit to Azerbaijani sport is irreplaceable. He has made an invaluable contribution to the development of the Azerbaijani chess school and he always glorified our country with his bright victories.
The Azerbaijani people and our sports community were proud of our talented athlete, who was one of the strongest players in the world, and they expected many more victories and new heights from him.

A cruel death took Vugar Gashimov from us very early in the period of the flowering of his talent. However, the blessed memory of him will always live in our hearts, in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people and all chess lovers.

Sharing your grief in these difficult moments, I express to you, Aida Aliyeva, and to all your family my deepest condolences.

May Allah rest their souls in peace!"

Ilham Aliyev, President of the Azerbaijan Republic

Baku, January 13, 2014