Abu Dhabi: President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has mourned the death of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia who passed away before dawn on Friday. He prayed to Allah Almighty to bless the soul of the late king with mercy in Paradise.
President Khalifa said, “We mourn the death of one of the most notable leaders of the Arab Nation and Muslim Nation who generously gave a lot to his people and his nation and sincerely defended the causes of the Arab Nation and the Muslim Nation.
As we express our sincere condolences to the Saudi royal family and the people of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the death of the great late king, Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, we express our full confidence that King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Crown Prince Muqrin Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud will continue his blessed march serving the causes of the nation and advance the Arab joint action.”
Shaikh Khalifa praised the late king for being dedicated himself to the service of his people and nation and worked on bolstering cohesion of the Arab Nation.
He emphasised that with the death of the late king, for the Arab Nation and the Muslim Nation, was a loss of a great figure who never hesitated to serve the causes of his nation until the end of his life.
Shaikh Khalifa ordered a three-day mourning, starting from Friday, and that the UAE national flag will be flown at half-mast at all government departments in the UAE and at all embassies and diplomatic missions of the UAE overseas.
UAE delegation
On behalf of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has left for Riyadh to join the procession of the late Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud to his final resting place on Friday afternoon.
Dr Shaikh Sultan is leading a high-level delegation comprised of His Highness Shaikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman, His Highness Shaikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, Shaikh Ammar Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman, Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, and a number of other shaikhs.
Cable of condolence
General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, today sent a cable of condolence to the Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, following the sad demise of King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud.
In his cable, Shaikh Mohammad offered sympathy to King Salman and prayed to Allah the Almighty to reward King Abdullah for the good deeds he offered to his people and his nation.
"The Islamic and Arab nations today lost a superb leader who stood as an advocate for Arab causes and rights and who helped spread peace, tolerance, justice and benevolence. The achievements made by the late King Abdullah for Saudi Arabia and its people, are the best testimony to his devotion and generosity," he added.
Paying tribute to King Abdullah, Shaikh Mohammad recalled the wise vision, as well as the brave and honest stands taken by him towards crucial issues and his profound awareness of the challenges facing the nation and the region.
"The UAE has lost a true brother and a loyal friend who, along with his brother President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, had contributed in furthering fraternal ties between the two countries," noted Shaikh Mohammad.
Shaikh Mohammad also praised King Abdullah’s stance to strengthen solidarity among the GCC countries and cooperation among all Arab countries in facing a variety of challenges.
He went on to say the GCC countries would never forget King Abdullah’s historic stances and his keen and wise efforts to maintain the GCC as a strong and cohesive entity.
Shaikh Mohammad offered condolences to the people of Saudi Arabia and expressed his confidence that the new Saudi leadership will follow King Abdullah’s path to guard the welfare of Saudi Arabia, as well as his wise approach in serving the Arab and Islamic nations and in confronting the challenges posed to the region.
