May Allah rest their souls. I offer my condolences to the people of Iran. This is a great loss not only for the Iranian people and state but for the entire Muslim world.
This was stated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev while speaking with Iran’s Chargé d’Affaires in Azerbaijan, Seyyed Jafar Agayi.
“Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi was an outstanding statesman, a prominent politician, and an exceptional individual who earned the trust of the Iranian people. My numerous meetings with him always left a profound impression on me. My last meeting with him was historic. Both he and I called this meeting historic. Our joint participation in the inauguration of a major infrastructure project on the state border was a testament to the strength of Iranian-Azerbaijani relations, an entirely open message to our peoples and the whole world that we are friends and brothers and will continue to stand together. The official statement by the late President Raisi and my official statement following the inauguration ceremony had very serious political significance. Both presidents openly declared that the countries in the region must actively participate in its further development,” noted Ilham Aliyev.
The president emphasized that the tragedy is, of course, a great sorrow for his loved ones and those who knew him.
“However, it is a consolation that he dedicated his life to the development of the Iranian people. He played a special role in protecting the national interests of the Iranian state. Both during his tenure as President and in previous periods, he strove to improve the well-being of the Iranian people and played a significant role in defending national interests.
As you know, we spent more than two hours together before the tragedy. During a bilateral meeting that lasted over an hour, many important issues were discussed. Future directions for the development of Iranian-Azerbaijani relations were reaffirmed, and the strong political will of both sides was once again demonstrated. At the same time, we had a wide exchange of views on specific infrastructure projects, and important decisions were made. 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 will of the Iranian and Azerbaijani peoples, and in my conversation with the late President Raisi, we expressed a firm resolve that many major projects would be realized in both bilateral and multilateral formats in the future.
Unfortunately, he did not live to see the implementation of future projects. Everyone has to accept fate. However, once again, it is comforting to know that he sacrificed his life for the development of Iran, and he will remain in our memory, in the memory of the Iranian people, and in the memory of the Azerbaijani people as a bright personality, an outstanding statesman, and a great friend of the Azerbaijani state and people. Once again, I extend my condolences. May Allah rest his soul,” said Ilham Aliyev.
