Condolence Letter - 12.17.2003

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December 17, 2003

His Excellency Ilham Aliyev
President
Republic of Azerbaijan
Baku

Dear Mr. President,

Please accept our condolences on the passing of your father, former President Heydar Aliyev.

As representatives of the organized American Jewish community, we were privileged to meet with your late father on several occasions, in Washington, New York, and Baku.  The friendship between America and Azerbaijan, and President Heydar Aliyev’s support for the Jewish community in Azerbaijan, reinforced your nation’s traditional tolerance and pluralism.

Mr. President, we have been honored to play a role in advancing Azerbaijan’s relations with the United States and the State of Israel, and we recommit ourselves to continuing this joint effort with you.  Your father’s passing marks the end of a critical era in the history of Azerbaijan, and the months and years to follow will reflect his legacy and the hopes of Azerbaijan’s people.

We join you in mourning your father, and extend our deepest sympathy to you, to your family, and to the people of Azerbaijan.

Respectfully, 

Robert J. Meth	Joel M. Schindler	Mark B. Levin
Chairman	President	Executive Director
Shai Franklin	Lesley Weiss
Director of Governmental Relations	Director of Community Services and Cultural Affairs

Read Embassy of Azerbaijan statement