Day: May 20, 2024

On Monday, Tehran confirmed the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other officials in a helicopter crash in the country’s northwestern province, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting AzerTac, citing Anadolu Agency.

Iranian Deputy President for Executive Affairs Mohsen Mansouri said in a statement on his X that all on board, including the president, foreign minister, accompanying delegation, and helicopter crew, died.

Earlier, Iranian state media also confirmed the deaths of all the president and all on board the helicopter that crashed in a mountainous area of East Azerbaijan Province on Sunday afternoon.

The helicopter was also carrying Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, East Azerbaijan Province Governor Malik Rahmeti, and Tabriz Province Imam Ayatollah Ali Hashim.

The post Deputy president: Iranian president, foreign minister officially confirmed dead in helicopter crash appeared first on Azerbaijan In Focus.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev expressed his condolences to the Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei over the death of Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other accompanying individuals in a helicopter crash, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting AzerTac.

The letter says: “We were deeply shocked by the news of the tragic loss suffered by our friendly and brotherly the Islamic Republic of Iran, and its people — the fatal helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other accompanying individuals.

In the person of President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian people lost a prominent statesman who served his country with dedication and loyalty all his life. His cherished memory will forever live in our hearts.

On this sorrowful day, I pray to Almighty Allah to grant patience and fortitude to the friendly and brotherly people of Iran. We share in your grief and extend our deepest condolences to you, the families and loved ones of those who perished, and to your entire nation, on behalf of myself and the people of Azerbaijan.”

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The President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were killed in the helicopter crash on Sunday, the country’s vice president said Monday, after Turkish Akıncı drone detected the location of the crash, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting Daily Sabah.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society announced early Monday that they had found the location of the wreckage of President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter after it was detected by Akıncı unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Speaking to local media, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent, Pir Hossein Kolivand, said that 2 kilometers are left to reach the area where the wreckage is located.

Iran’s official news agency IRNA also confirmed the finding.

The news was posted on IRNA’s Telegram account.

“President Raisi, the foreign minister and all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in the crash,” the senior Iranian official told Reuters, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Iran’s Mehr news agency confirmed the deaths, reporting that “all passengers of the helicopter carrying the Iranian president and foreign minister were martyred.”

An Iranian official earlier told Reuters the helicopter carrying Raisi and Amirabdollahian was completely burned in the crash on Sunday.

State TV reported that images from the site showed the aircraft slammed into a mountain peak, although there was no official word on the cause of the crash.

State news agency IRNA said Raisi was flying in a U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter.

Raisi, 63, was elected president in 2021, and since taking office has ordered a tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate power with a final say on foreign policy and Iran’s nuclear program, had earlier sought to reassure Iranians, saying there would be no disruption to state affairs.

Rescue teams fought blizzards and difficult terrain through the night to reach the wreckage in the early hours of Monday.

“With the discovery of the crash site, no signs of life have been detected among the helicopter’s passengers,” the head of Iran’s Red Crescent, Pir Hossein Kolivand, told state TV.

Earlier, the national broadcaster had stopped all regular programing to show prayers being held for Raisi across the country.

In the early hours of Monday, it showed a rescue team, wearing bright jackets and head torches, huddled around a GPS device as they searched a pitch-black mountainside on foot in a blizzard.

Several countries expressed concern and offered assistance in any rescue.

The White House said U.S. President Joe Biden had been briefed on reports about the crash. China said it was deeply concerned. The European Union offered emergency satellite mapping technology.

The crash comes at a time of growing dissent within Iran over an array of political, social and economic crises. Iran’s clerical rulers face international pressure over Tehran’s disputed nuclear program and its deepening military ties with Russia during the war in Ukraine.

In Iran’s dual political system, split between the clerical establishment and the government, it is Raisi’s 85-year-old mentor Khamenei, supreme leader since 1989, who holds decision-making power on all major policies.

For years many have seen Raisi as a strong contender to succeed Khamenei, who has endorsed Raisi’s main policies. Raisi’s victory in a closely managed election in 2021 brought all branches of power under the control of hardliners, after eight years when the presidency had been held by pragmatist Hassan Rouhani and a nuclear deal negotiated with powers including Washington.

However, Raisi’s standing may have been dented by widespread protests against clerical rule and a failure to turn around Iran’s economy, hamstrung by Western sanctions.

Raisi had been at the Azerbaijani border on Sunday to inaugurate the Qiz-Qalasi Dam, a joint project. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who said he had bid a “friendly farewell” to Raisi earlier in the day, offered assistance in the rescue.

The post Iran’s President Raisi, FM Amirabdollahian killed in chopper crash appeared first on Azerbaijan In Focus.

On May 20, the National Statistics Service of Georgia (Geostat) published preliminary data indicating that in January-May 2024, Georgia’s foreign trade decreased by 2.7% compared to the same period of 2023, totaling $6.563 billion in value.

In January-May 2024, exports from Georgia decreased by 10.1% to $1.763 billion, while imports lowered by 0.3% to $4.800 billion. As a result, the country’s negative trade balance was $3.037 billion, representing 46.3% of its foreign trade turnover.

Source: Geostat

In the same period, Turkey was Georgia’s largest trade partner with $964 million in trade volume, followed by Russia with $837 million, China with $498 million, United States with $480 million, and Azerbaijan with $401 million.

During the reporting period, Kyrgyzstan was Georgia’s largest trade partner in exports with $292 million, followed by Russia with $230 million, Kazakhstan with $208 million, Azerbaijan with $192 million, and Armenia with $174 million.

In terms of imports, Georgia’s largest trading partners were Turkey with $840 million, Russia with $606 million, the United States with $446 million, China with $419 million, and Germany with $320 million.

Source: Geostat

In January-May 2024, the largest commodity groups in exports were led by motor cars – $577 million. Then come: wine of fresh grapes – $127 million; ferro-alloys – $82 million; spirituous beverages – $80 million; natural or artificial mineral and aerated waters, not containing added sugar – $51 million; precious metal ores and concentrates – $46 million; nitrogenous fertilizers – $46 million; medicaments put up in measured doses – $37 million; waters, mineral and aerated waters, containing added sugar – $36 million; gold unwrought or in semi-manufactured forms, or in powder form – $31 million; other commodities – $652 million.

As for imports, the major commodity groups here are motor cars – $722 million; petroleum and petroleum oils – $423 million; medicaments put up in measured doses – $217 million; petroleum gases and other gaseous hydrocarbons – $202 million; telephone sets and apparatus for the transmission or reception of voice, images or other data (including wired/wireless networks) – $103 million; automatic data processing machines and units thereof – $96 million; motor vehicles for the transport of goods – $66 million; bars and rods of iron or non-alloy steel – $46 million; structures and parts of structures of iron or steel – $41 million; aircraft – $36 million; other commodities – $36 billion.

Also Read:

• 13/05/2024 – Georgia’s Foreign Trade Down 2.7% in January-April 2024
• 22/04/2024 – Georgia’s Foreign Trade Down 6.5% in January-March 2024
• 19/03/2024 – Georgia’s Foreign Trade Down 4.8% in January-February 2024
• 13/03/2024 – Georgia’s Foreign Trade Down 5.0% in January-February 2024
• 19/02/2024 – Georgia’s Foreign Trade Down 14.8% in January 2024