2 yıl önce

UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan passes away

The Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced 40 days of mourning with flags at half-mast, with work suspended in the public and private sectors for the first three days.

AFP

Sheikh Khalifa took over as UAE president in November 2004.

The President of United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has passed away at the age 73.

"The Ministry of Presidential Affairs mourns to the UAE people, Arab and Islamic nations and the world the death of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who passed away on Friday," the ministry said in a statement on state media without giving further details.

Under the constitution, vice-president and premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, would act as president until the federal council which groups the rulers of the seven emirates meets within 30 days to elect a new president.

Khalifa, born in 1948, had rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2014 and his half-brother Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, known as MbZ, has been the de facto ruler of the US-allied UAE, an OPEC oil producer.

"The UAE has lost its righteous son and leader of the 'empowerment phase' and guardian of its blessed journey," MbZ said on Twitter, praising Khalifa's wisdom and generosity.

The UAE would observe a 40-day mourning period with flags flown at half-mast as of Friday and suspend work at all public and private sector entities for three days, the ministry said.

Erdogan, other leaders condole

Condolences started pouring in from world leaders including Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, US President Joe Biden Bahrain's king, Egypt's president and Iraq's prime minister.

Erdogan said he will pay a condolence visit to the UAE.

Biden also paid tributes.

"We will honour 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 in a statement.

Khalifa came to power in 2004 in the richest emirate Abu Dhabi and became the head of state. He is expected to be succeeded as ruler of Abu Dhabi by Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed.

Abu Dhabi, which holds most of the Gulf state's oil wealth, has held the presidency since the founding of the UAE federation by Khalifa's father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, in 1971.

Sheikh Khalifa took over as UAE president in November 2004, succeeding his father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies