Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President and ruler of Abu Dhabi has passed away at age 73 on Friday.
The UAE will observe a forty-day national mourning with the flag flown at half-mast starting today, the Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced, adding that work will be suspended at all ministries, departments, and federal, local and private entities for three days.
The Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said in a post on Twitter: “We belong to God and to Him we shall return.. The Emirates lost its righteous son, the leader of the “empowerment stage” and the trustee of its blessed journey.. His stances, achievements, wisdom, giving, and initiatives are visible in every corner of the country.. Khalifa bin Zayed, my brother, my mentor, and my teacher, may God have mercy on you with his vast mercy and enter you into his good pleasure and paradise.”
Meanwhile, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum said in post on Twitter: “Oh God, we witness that Khalifa bin Zayed has fulfilled his trust.. and served his flock.. and loved his people.. Oh God, his people have been satisfied with him.. so be pleased with him.. and cover him with your mercy.. and put him in your vast gardens.. and inspire us and inspire his people, his family and his loved ones patience and solace.. we belong to God and to Him we shall return..”
The Sheikh has been credited for steering the development of the oil and gas sector and the downstream industries that have successfully contributed to the UAE’s economic diversification.
