(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte has extended his condolences to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government over the death of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
According to the Office of Presidential Protocol and Office of Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs, the President “conveys the Filipino nation’s solidarity with the UAE in this period of great loss and bereavement.”
The office, quoting the President, also called the UAE leader “a bold visionary whose leadership was crucial in the UAE’s sustained economic transformation and deeper engagement with the international community, including the Philippines.”
“The President (Duterte) said His Highness Sheikh Khalifa will long be remembered even beyond the UAE for his legacy of leadership, wisdom and benevolence,” the office said.
The late UAE president suffered a stroke in January 2014 and was rarely seen in public since then.
Sheikh Khalifa’s half-brother, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has been voted to the UAE presidency.