NICOLA Sturgeon has paid tribute to her predecessor and mentor Alex Salmond following his death.
Salmond passed away on Saturday aged 69 after giving a speech in North Macedonia.
He served as first minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014 and was leader of the Scottish National Party on two occasions, from 1990 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2014.
Sturgeon was his deputy first minister from 2007 to 2014, and his depute leader of SNP from 2004 to 2014.
READ MORE: Tributes pour in for former first minister Alex Salmond
The pair had a public fallout after the allegations of sexual misconduct made against Salmond while in office to both police and the Scottish Government. He was later cleared of the allegations.
Sturgeon released a statement, which read: "I am shocked and sorry to learn of Alex Salmond’s death.
"Obviously, I cannot pretend that the events of the past few years which led to the breakdown of our relationship did not happen, and it would not be right for me to try.
"However, it remains the fact that for many years Alex was an incredibly significant figure in my life. He was my mentor, and for more than a decade we formed one of the most successful partnerships in UK politics.
READ MORE: SNP figures pay tribute to former leader Alex Salmond
"Alex modernised the SNP and led us into government for the first time, becoming Scotland’s fourth First Minister and paving the way for the 2014 referendum which took Scotland to the brink of independence.
She concluded: "He will be remembered for all of that. My thoughts are with Moira, his wider family and his friends.”
A documentary exploring the fractured relationship between Sturgeon and Salmond aired in September.
The BBC documentary, Salmond And Sturgeon: A Troubled Union, included interviews with both former first ministers of Scotland where they discuss the breakdown of their long-term political partnership.
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