Mr Putin said that the former President of Azerbaijan was a major statesman and without exaggeration had represented a real weight in politics. “Not only did I feel great respect for him, I also felt love for him,” the President said.
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President Vladimir Putin paid his last respects to former President of Azerbaijan Geidar Aliev, laying a wreath of claret-coloured roses beside his coffin. After the farewell ceremony, which took place at the Republic Palace in Baku, Mr Putin said he was deeply saddened by the death of Mr Aliev, with whom he had established warm personal relations