TEHRAN -- Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma on Wednesday condoled with the Iranian nation in a message addressed to his Iranian counterpart, President Seyed Mohammad Khatami, on the sad event of the recent killer earthquake that claimed hundreds of lives, thousands of casualties, and lots of material loss.

According to the Press and Information Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Kuchma in his message addressing to his Iranian counterpart, President Khatami wrote: "To our great sorrow, we were informed of the horrendous news on the natural disaster in your country, IRNA reported.

"On behalf of the Ukrainian nation and, in particular, myself, I condole with you and the relatives of the earthquake's victims on the tragic event, and express sympathy with them, hoping that the injured survivors of the incidence would recover as soon as possible.

Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Anatoly Zelenko, too, has said in a similar message addressed to his Iranian counterpart, Kamal Kharrazi, that it was so sad to hear about the disastrous event of earthquake in some Iranian provinces that claimed a great number of victims.

Elsewhere in the message, we read, "This disastrous event has beyond description broken the hearts of the Ukrainians and I express sympathy with you and your nation on this sad moment, when you are encountered with a tough test.