SA was in process of finalising a state visit for late Iran leader, Raisi, Ramaphosa reveals
Raisi died in a helicopter crash on Sunday near the Azerbaijan border along with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Iranian leader, Ebrahim Raisi. Picture: @PresidencyZA/ X.
JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa said that Pretoria was in the process of finalising a state visit for late Iranian leader, Ebrahim Raisi.
Raisi died in a helicopter crash on Sunday near the Azerbaijan border, along with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.
Ramaphosa said that South Africa enjoyed good relations with Iran under Raisi’s governance.
Last year, Iran was admitted as an official member of the BRICS Plus group.
"The relations between South Africa and Iran are good relations and we wanted to improve them and he had wanted to come for a state visit to South Africa, which we were supposed to set a date for, so it is a sad loss and I do hope the people of Iran can go through this with great strength and can choose another leader who will lead Iran going forward."
South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor said that their deaths were a loss.
"We’re shocked at this tragedy, and we express our condolences and send our prayers to the family, to the government and to the people of Iran. We wish them strength in this most difficult period."