Death of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyane: King Mohammed VI decrees three-day national mourning

Following the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyane, the President of the United Arab Emirates, King Mohammed VI has given his highest instructions to declare a three-day official mourning in the Kingdom, starting from Friday, May 13, 2022.

During this three-day mourning, the national flag will be flown at half-mast at government buildings, administrations and public places, and at Morocco’s embassies and consulates abroad, said the Royal Office in a statement.

Following the sad news of the death of Sheikh Khalifa, King Mohammed VI had a phone call with his brother Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to whom he expressed again, on behalf of Morocco, King, Government and People, as well as to his illustrious princely family and to the brotherly Emirati people, “his deep condolences and sincere feelings of compassion following the cruel loss of a noble and brave Arab leader, bound to Morocco by solid ties of brotherhood and esteem,” the statement said.

While sharing the grief of the illustrious Princely Family and the brotherly Emirati people following this cruel loss, the Kingdom of Morocco prays the Almighty to grant them patience and comfort, to have the revered deceased in His holy mercy and to welcome him into His vast paradise.

The Sovereign had earlier sent messages of condolences and compassion to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as well as to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and President of the Council of Ministers.

A previous statement of the Royal Office said that King Mohammed VI expressed his sincerest condolences and deep feelings of sympathy, in his own name and on behalf of the royal family, and the entire Moroccan people, following the sad news of the death of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Following the sad news of the death of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, “King Mohammed VI expressed in his personal name and on behalf of the Royal Family and the Moroccan people, his sincere condolences and deep feelings of compassion after this loss that has plunged the illustrious Princely Family of the State of the United Arab Emirates into grief,” said the Royal office in the statement.

In this painful circumstance, the King recalled the deep bonds of sincere affection, mutual esteem and continuous understanding that bound the Sovereign to the deceased and that constantly united the UAE Princely Family and the Moroccan Royal Family.

The Sovereign also stressed that “the Kingdom of Morocco remembers, with the esteem due to the deceased, may God have him in His holy mercy, the affection and the strong bonds of brotherhood and solidarity, in good and bad times, that the deceased bore towards Morocco, and his great concern for the consolidation and development of the exceptional and distinguished relations linking the two brotherly countries, as well as for the reinforcement of their bonds of solidarity and mutual aid with regard to the various crucial questions of common interest,” added the Royal Office statement.

In this difficult moment, King Mohammed VI expressed the great esteem he holds for “the great achievements” made by the late President in favor of his country, his continuing the work of his late father, Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan, and his endeavors to ensure its modernization and the development of its economic and political capacities. This enabled the UAE “to occupy a prominent place at the Arab, regional and international levels, and to play an active role in defending just Arab causes and consolidating Arab-Islamic ties of solidarity,” the statement said.

Following the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa, the Moroccan TV network aired a reporting on Moroccan-UAE relations, recalling the late President’s numerous visits to the kingdom and the meetings he held with King Mohammed VI.