UAE | Government
Diplomatic corps offers condolences to the UAE
Outpourings of grief were mixed with praise and gratitude for the achievements of a leader many regard as great. The international diplomatic corps were unanimous in their respect for the father of the UAE.
- By Ashfaq Ahmed, Sunita Menon, Shalini John and Jay Hiloton, Staff Reporters
- Published: 00:00 November 3, 2004
Outpourings of grief were mixed with praise and gratitude for the achievements of a leader many regard as great. The international diplomatic corps were unanimous in their respect for the father of the UAE.
Yash Sinha, Consul General of India “I am deeply saddened to learn about the demise of His Highness Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. He was a true friend of India. He was a great benefactor of the Indian community in the UAE. The community has lost a father figure and it is indeed an irreparable loss. We pray to the Almighty to grant the entire nation the strength to bear such a grievous loss. We stand in solidarity with our UAE national brothers and sisters in their hour of grief.”
Tanase Sherban, Head of the Romanian mission “It is really a very sad day. I know the president was a great man. Under him, a lot of goals have been achieved. The trade market, the economy, the construction industry and the highly civilised society that is the UAE is a tribute to his leadership. Considering that the UAE is a fairly young country, the present civilisation is at the highest level. The speediness with how things have come about is thanks to him. He also tried to enhance the position of the GCC countries. A great man has died. My mind is still disorganised. This is a great loss for the nation. I feel great regret.”
Franz Josef Dicken, the Consul and Deputy Head of the German mission “It is very sad news. It is a very great loss for this country. He was one of the founding fathers of the UAE. He made it a very prosperous country almost from scratch. I think the greatest compliment I can pay him is that, although he was not an elected politician, if there were elections here, he would have been elected by 99 per cent of the voters. His death is an immeasurable loss.”
Somsakdi Suriyawongse, Ambassador of Thailand “We, the King of Thailand, the prime minister and the whole nation of Thailand are very saddened and mourn the loss of this great leader. Even though we know that one day this will happen and the time has come, it is difficult to deal with. We consider him a best friend. I learned a lot from him. The way he looks after his country, his people is exemplary. According to all the people I have spoken with, they had only high praise regarding his overwhelming concern for the people. The country is very secure, very clean and the people are very happy. I think this is all due to him. We are all very saddened over this tragic situation. The Thai people have been looked after very well by him.”
P.D Fernando Consul General of Sri Lanka “I was not fortunate enough to meet Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan personally, but, yes, I have read quite a lot about him. I admire the vision he held of building a country on a model that today serves as an example for other nations. It was this vision and determination that today UAE is a country of strong economy. He had invested all that he had got towards the betterment of his country and his people. The citizens of the UAE are enjoying the fruits of his hard work. I appreciate the manner in which he had held good relations with Sri Lanka and established trade relations between the two countries. There is large Sri Lankan expatriate community who are living in dignity in the UAE.”
Kamrul Ahsan, Consul General of Bangladesh “I remember his visit to our country. That is in the early 1980s and I was a student then. In fact, his visit was the first official visit made by a UAE leader. People welcomed him everywhere in large numbers. The atmosphere was quite electrifying. What I saw was the ease in which he connected with ordinary people wherever he went. No sooner had the news of his passing away broke, I have been flooded with telephone calls from community members who expressed their sorrow. Special prayers has been held and arranged by the community members in various mosques of the northern emirates. As a Consul General, I respect the efforts made by him in strengthening bilateral relations between the UAE and Bangladesh. All Bangladeshis join the citizens of the UAE in this time of sorrow and loss of their great leader His Highness Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.”
Homood Farraj Bin Nader, Consul General of Saudi Arabia “His loss has shattered us. I just do not know how to explain my deepest feelings. We as Saudis share with our UAE brothers the deep sorrow and grief on the death of such a unique leader. We extend our condolences to his sons and family, all the other rulers in the emirates and heads of all the Arab countries. Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan was one of the greatest leaders. He worked so much for upholding Arab unity. His wisdom guided us at the time of need. His passing away has created a vacuum that can never be filled. I met him several times during official meetings. He came across as a warm and simple person. He was a unique personality.”
Richard Makepeace, British Ambassador “The immense achievements of the UAE are the clear tribute to High Highness Shaikh Zayed’s vision and wisdom. Those who had the honour to meet him could not fail to be touched by his humanity, and genuine interest in the welfare of all his people. He leaves to the UAE an impressive legacy of stability, progress and prosperity. In international affairs, he always stood firmly on the side of generosity, justice and fairness. He was a good friend to my country. On behalf of the British Government, the British people and the British community here in the UAE, I offer my profound condolences. His many British friends and admirers will mourn his passing, and honour his memory.”
Sudhir Vyas Ambassador of India “Shaikh Zayed was a long-standing friend of India. He was baba, a father figure, for the millions of Indians who find a home away from home in the UAE. India mourns his passing, along with our UAE national brothers and sisters. To us, his loss will be the passing of an era.”
Syed Qaiser Hussain, Ambassador of Pakistan “On behalf of the Pakistani community living in the UAE, I wish to express my heartfelt condolences on the sad death of His Highness Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates. The sad news has been received with shock and grief all across Pakistan. Shaikh Zayed was a leading statesman of the world and his wisdom and exceptional intelligence was a source of strength, peace and stability in regional and world affairs. In his death, the people of Pakistan have lost a fatherly figure, who was always keen on the welfare of Pakistanis. In this hour of extreme grief, the Pakistani community in the UAE solidly stands with their UAE brethren. May Almighty Allah rest his soul in eternal peace and give the bereaved leadership and people of the UAE the courage to bear this irreparable loss with fortitude.”
Hajime Tsujimoto, Ambassador of Japanese “On behalf of the government and people of Japan and the Japanese community in the United Arab Emirates, I would like to express my most sincere and deepest condolences to their highnesses the honourable Al Nahyan shaikhs and to the government and people of the UAE on the death of His Highness Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. May God bless him.”
Zaid Al Hadidi, Consul General of Jordan “His Highness Shaikh Zayed was a man of principles. His death is a great loss to Arab countries as they lost a great
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