Turkish president reiterates support for Iranian people after death of Iran's Raisi

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday reiterated his country’s support for the people of Iran after the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

“As Türkiye, we will, as always, stand by the friendly and brotherly Iranian people Iran during these difficult times,” Erdogan said at an event in Ankara.

Erdogan further said he believes the Iranian people will get through this difficult time.

"I wholeheartedly believe that our Iranian brothers will sensibly manage this process, upholding their ancient and strong state practices," he said.

Erdogan again extended his condolences to the Iranian people, their government, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the grieving families of those who lost their lives in the helicopter crash.

Recalling his close dialogue with Raisi on both bilateral relations and regional issues, the Turkish president said: "I personally witnessed the sincere efforts he (Raisi) made for the peace of the Iranian people and our region during his tenure. Similarly, we have seen that the late Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was a successful diplomat in his relations with Türkiye. We remember them with gratitude and respect."

Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other officials died as the helicopter they were onboard went down in Iran’s northwestern mountainous East Azerbaijan province on Sunday afternoon.

After the helicopter carrying Raisi had an accident, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense assigned the Akinci UAV and a Cougar-type helicopter with night vision capabilities to participate in search activities.