Radev Sends Condolences for Plane Crash in Turkey

President Rumen Radev sent a condolence letter to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in connection with the tragic crash of a C-130 military transport plane of the Turkish Air Force. The incident, which occurred near the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan, claimed the lives of twenty servicemen. The press secretariat of the head of state announced the event.

On behalf of the Bulgarian people and on his own behalf, President Radev expressed deep condolences to the families of the deceased. He also sent a message of empathy to all those who work in the difficult and responsible professional field of defense.

The tragic incident took place on November eleventh, after the plane took off from the territory of Azerbaijan, heading towards Turkey.

Witnesses of the event recount the first moments of shock when the news of the crash reached high-ranking officials. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan interrupted his speech, held in the capital Ankara, to announce to those present that he had learned with deep sadness about the crash of one of Turkey_q_s C-130 military transport planes near the Georgian-Azerbaijani border.

His colleague, Minister of Internal Affairs Ali Yerlikaya, also expressed his sorrow over the tragedy. He shared that he had spoken on the phone with his Georgian counterpart, Gela Geladze. The Anadolu Agency reported that President Erdogan discussed the search and rescue operations that are being carried out with the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze by phone. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a telephone conversation with his Georgian counterpart, Maka Bochorishvili, who expressed his condolences in connection with the crash.

The Anadolu Agency also reported that the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, had a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart to express his condolences for the incident.

The crash represents the deadliest military incident that Turkey has experienced since February 2020. Then, Syrian forces supported by Russia killed thirty-three Turkish soldiers in Idlib, Northwestern Syria, where Turkey was supporting rebels fighting against the Assad regime, notes Reuters.