Putin Says Iran's Raisi Was An 'outstanding' Leader

Moscow, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th May, 2024) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday hailed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi as an "outstanding politician" and said his death in a helicopter crash was an "irreplaceable loss."

"Raisi was an outstanding politician whose entire life was dedicated to serving his homeland," Putin said in a letter to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, published on the Kremlin's website.

"As a true friend of Russia, he made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of good-neighbourly relations between our countries, and made great efforts to take them to the level of a strategic partnership," he added.

The Kremlin leader said he was sending condolences to Khamenei and the Iranian people "in the face of such a grave and irreplaceable loss."

Raisi was declared dead on Monday after rescue teams found his crashed helicopter in a fog-shrouded western mountain region.