Azerbaijan’s president conveys condolences to Sukhoi victims

The crash of a Sukhoi Superjet 100 plane near Bogor on Wednesday not only shocked the nation but also brought sympathy and condolences from far away places.

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev sent a message of condolence to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday. The Indonesian Foreign Ministry also posted on its website on Saturday a photo in which President Ilham was seen paying his homage to the victims.

“I have been deeply saddened by the news of numerous human casualties in the aftermath of a plane crash in your country,” Ilham said in his message, which was also posted on the presidential website www.president.az.

“I share in your grief over this tragedy and extend my condolences to you, the families and friends of those killed, and all the people of Indonesia on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan. May they rest in peace!”

Azerbaijan, a Muslim-majority state and leading oil and gas producer in South Caucasus, maintains close friendly relations with Indonesia, the home to the world’s biggest Muslim population.

The ill-fated plane carrying 45 people on board crashed on the slopes of Mount Salak volcano on Wednesday. So far, there have been no survivors.