President Halimah conveys condolences to UAE leader

President Halimah Yacob on Monday conveyed her condolences to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the ruler of Abu Dhabi, on the passing of former UAE president Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

President Halimah, who was in Abu Dhabi, was representing Singapore at the official mourning of Sheikh Khalifa - Sheikh Mohamed's older brother - who died last Friday at the age of 73.

"Sheikh Khalifa was beloved by the people of the UAE and will be dearly missed.

"Under Sheikh Khalifa's leadership, the UAE had prospered and developed steadily," she said in a Facebook post yesterday.

She added that Singapore-UAE ties have also been growing from strength to strength since Sheikh Khalifa hosted former Singapore president S. R. Nathan on a state visit in 2009.

At their meeting, President Halimah also congratulated Sheikh Mohamed on his election as President of the UAE.

"I last hosted him on his official visit to Singapore in February 2019.

"The UAE is a longstanding and valued partner for Singapore, and I look forward to working with Sheikh Mohamed to further deepen our bilateral relations," the President wrote in her Facebook post.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had sent his condolences to the UAE last Saturday, noting that Sheikh Khalifa dedicated his life to serving the people of Abu Dhabi as well as the UAE.

President Halimah was accompanied on her Abu Dhabi trip by Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Maliki Osman, who is also Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Education, and officials from the President's Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.