President Aliyev’s unexpected gesture leaves Slovakia's Pellegrini impressed

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev personally took the wheel during a joint trip with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, surprising his guest with an unusual display of hospitality, the Slovak leader said in a post on X.

Pellegrini noted that the continuation of the official program in such a format was highly unusual, as host heads of state do not typically drive themselves during official visits.

For the next part of our program, President Aliyev and I proceeded in a rather unusual way. It is certainly not customary for a host head of state to personally take the wheel during an official visit. I was truly delighted by this extraordinary and thoughtful gesture. It spoke… pic.twitter.com/yZwuRnTARY

— Peter Pellegrini (@PellegriniP_) July 14, 2026

“For the next part of our program, President Aliyev and I proceeded in a rather unusual way. It is certainly not customary for a host head of state to personally take the wheel during an official visit. I was truly delighted by this extraordinary and thoughtful gesture,” Pellegrini wrote.

According to the Slovak leader, Aliyev’s action served as a vivid symbol of the warm relations between the two countries, the friendship of their peoples, and the mutual trust and respect underpinning bilateral ties.

“I sincerely thank President Aliyev for this memorable expression of hospitality,” Pellegrini added.

By Jeyhun Aghazada