Aliyev Discusses Last Meeting with Iranian President Before Tragic Accident

The last meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was historic, stated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, emphasizing that Raisi was a prominent statesman.

“My many meetings with him have always left a great impression on me. My last meeting with him was historic. Both he and I deemed this meeting to be historic. Our joint participation in the opening of a major infrastructure project at the state border testified to the strength of Iran-Azerbaijan relations; it was a clear message to both our peoples and the entire world that we are friends, brothers, and will continue to be together,” said Aliyev.

According to Aliyev, on the day of the tragedy, he and Raisi spent more than two hours together. “During the bilateral meeting, which lasted more than an hour, many important issues were discussed. Once again, the future directions for the development of Iran-Azerbaijan relations were reaffirmed, and the political will of both sides was once again manifested. At the same time, we had a broad exchange of ideas on specific infrastructure projects, and important decisions were made. I am confident that the individuals who participated in that meeting will bring it to the attention of Iran’s new leadership. I am sure that all agreements reached will be implemented, as they are based on the will of the Iranian and Azerbaijani peoples, and during the conversation with the late President Raisi, we expressed our firm will that there will be many large projects in the future, both bilaterally and multilaterally.

Unfortunately, he will not be able to see the implementation of future projects. However, I repeat, I am comforted by the fact that he gave his life for Iran's development. In the memory of our people, the Iranian people, and the Azerbaijani people, he will remain as a vivid personality, a prominent statesman, and a great friend of the Azerbaijani state and people,” Aliyev stated.

It should be noted that the Iranian presidential helicopter made a hard landing in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran on May 19, resulting in the deaths of the helicopter crew and all passengers, including President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Just hours before the accident, Raisi had met with Aliyev at the Iran-Azerbaijan border.