MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to his Chilean counterpart Gabriel Boric over the tragic demise of Chilean ex-President Sebastian Pinera, noting the ex-presidents personal contribution to the development of friendly relations between Moscow and Santiago. The telegram was published on the Kremlin website.

The Chilean ex-president died after a helicopter crashed into a lake in the southern part of Chile. The helicopter carried four people; everyone survived the crash except for Pinera.

"Please accept my deep condolences over the tragic demise of former President of Chile Sebatian Pinera. During his two terms as a head of state, Sebastian Pinera did a lot for the social and economic development of your country and earned big international authority. He made a significant contribution to the development of friendly Russian-Chilean relations," Putin said in his telegram.

The Russian president noted that he was able to talk to "this prominent statesman" in person, and underscored that he will forever keep good memories of Pinera.

"Please, relay my compassion and support to the relatives and the close ones, as well as the entire people of Chile," Putin concluded.

Pinera served as the President of Chile in 2010-2014 and in 2018-2022.