‘A life rich in achievements’
Warm tributes from Arab and world leaders signify the respect in which the departed president of the UAE was held
Messages of condolence poured in from the Middle East and the rest of the world after the death on Friday of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed AlNahyan, the president of the UAE, at the age of 73.
“The Emirates lost its righteous son, the leader of the ‘empowerment stage’ and the trustee of its blessed journey,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, said in a tweet.
Throughout the day, Gulf leaders offered their condolences to the Al-Nahyan family and the Emirati people. In a statement published by the SPA, Saudi Arabia’s Royal Court said the news of Sheikh Khalifa’s passing had been “received with great sadness and sorrow.”
King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “expressed their deepest condolences and sympathy to the government of the United Arab Emirates, the honorable Al-Nahyan family, the brotherly Emirati people, and to the Arab and Islamic nations on passing away of a leader who has given a lot to his people, nation and the world.”
Declaring three days of national mourning, Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik said: “The Sultanate shares the grief of the leadership, government and people of the brotherly United Arab Emirates in their great affliction.”
Bahrain’s Royal Court likewise “paid homage to the late UAE president who passed away after a life rich in achievements to serve the UAE people as well as the Arab and Islamic nations.”
Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said: “We have lost with his passing a great leader who was wise and moderate, who devoted his life and effort to serve his country and nation.”
Speaking for Kuwaitis, Emir Sheikh Nawaf said: “The Arab and Islamic nations have lost one of their leaders. The great man who devoted his life to serving his country and people and defending Arab and Islamic causes.”
Dr. Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf, the GCC secretary-general, and Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretarygeneral of the Arab League, also issued statements of condolence.
Leaders across the wider Middle East and North Africa have also paid their respects. “With sincere sadness and sorrow, I mourn one of the most precious men and one of the greatest leaders,” Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi tweeted on Friday.
“He gave a lot to his country and his nation, until the Emirates became a model for development and modernity in our region and the world.”
Jordan’s King Abdullah II tweeted: “We have lost a dear brother and an outstanding leader who inherited wisdom from his late great father Sheikh
Zayed and dedicated his life to serving his country and the Arab and Islamic nations.”
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi said: “We are confident that the pioneering path that the late great man took will continue with the efforts of his country’s leadership and people.”
Several Lebanese officials expressed their sorrow via Twitter. “Today, the Arab nation lost one of its most prominent men,” Saad Hariri, Lebanon’s former prime minister, said.
Arab leaders were not the only Middle East public figures to send their condolences. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog called Sheikh Khalifa’s death “a great loss for our friends in the UAE and for the whole region.”
Israel and the UAE established diplomatic relations in 2020 — the first of several US-backed normalization agreements between the Jewish state and Arab countries that year.
“Sheikh Khalifa’s bold leadership contributed so much to the advancement of the UAE and its people and to the growing partnership between our countries and is a great legacy for his successors,” Herzog added.
Messages also arrived from further afield. US President Joe Biden paid tribute to Sheikh Khalifa, calling the departed
Emirati leader a “true partner and friend of the United States.”
“We will honor his memory by continuing to strengthen the longstanding ties between the governments and people of the United States and the United Arab Emirates,” Biden said.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “saddened” to learn of Sheikh Khalifa’s passing. “He was a wise and respected leader who will be missed enormously. Through his work as president and sheikh he has made a personal contribution to regional stability and conservation which will long be remembered.”
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who continues to foster a close relationship with the Middle East, shared his “deep sorrow.”
“On this sad occasion I recall the president’s long and distinguished career as a public servant. He was respected not only in his country but throughout the wider region and the world.”
Born in 1948, the eldest son of Sheikh Zayed, Sheikh Khalifa took over as the UAE’s second president in November 2004, succeeding his father as the 16th ruler of Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Khalifa led the UAE as it began its rise to become a global oil and commercial power. He leaves behind his wife Sheikha Shamsa bint Suhail Al-Mazrouei and their eight children.
The Emirates lost its righteous son, the leader of the ‘empowerment stage’ and the
trustee of its blessed journey.