BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 13. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has visited the Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the country to offer condolences over the death of Her Majesty Elisabeth II, Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Trend reports.
The head of state was met by the Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Azerbaijan Fergus Auld.
President Ilham Alıyev signed a book of condolences.
Then the head of state talked with the Ambassador.
President Ilham Aliyev: It is very sad but no-one can change the laws of life. Once again, I want to express my condolences to the British people.
Ambassador: Thank you very much.
President Ilham Aliyev: I knew the Queen personally. We met twice – the first time was before I was elected President. I was invited to Buckingham Palace in 1997 on the occasion of the Queen's birthday. At that time, I was invited as Vice President of SOCAR. Of course, there were many people there, but that was the first time we met. After that, I had the opportunity to meet with Her Majesty the Queen during my visit to your country. She was a very kind person.
As you may know, our delegation recently presented her with a Karabakh horse on my behalf. Although she was already experiencing some health issues, she personally accepted the gift. There is information about that. She was a very nice person, a great figure and, of course, first of all, a historic figure who was a symbol of Britain. I offer my condolences on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan.
I have also sent a letter of condolences to the King. I indicated in the letter that I was sure that our relations would continue to develop successfully because we have really reached close relations in many areas, and I hope that these relations will continue to expand even more in the near future.
Ambassador: Thank you. Thank you very much for coming to the Embassy on the occasion of the Queen's death. Let me also thank you for your letters of condolences to King Charles and the Prime Minister. Your attention is very important to the development of relations between our countries.
