The message reads in part:
”I was sorry to learn of the death of a distinguished Afghan leader, the former King of Afghanistan, His Majesty Mohammad Zahir Shah. Mohammad Zahir Shah was well-known in Russia as an active supporter of the comprehensive development of Russian-Afghan cooperation, and as a man with a genuine liking for our country. He made a great contribution to establishing and strengthening friendly and neighbourly relations between Russia and Afghanistan.
I am confident that the tradition of friendship and multifaceted cooperation that Mohammad Zahir Shah helped sustain will help further develop Russian-Afghan relations for the benefit of our peoples and help bring about a rapid stabilisation of the situation in and around Afghanistan“.