Western leaders are mourning the death of Sheik Khalifa

Historic days are living on United Arab Emirates (UAE): on Friday, May 13, he passed away at the age of 73 President Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan and since then they have been days of mourning. No commercial or cultural activity, no shows, no musical performances, no festivals, no fireworks, the flags are on half staff, local television channels have no programs other than a black and white plaque with a picture of emir and a short message (in Arabic): 1948-2022.

forty days of mourning They will settle on these lands, according to government provisions, as is the tradition in many Arab countries, although this will not happen with commercial activity that will resume earlier, from this Tuesday of the 17th, after the suspension of all. public and private activities from Friday. Married couples do not have to cancel the wedding, however they can’t party to music in the days of mourning.

A procession of European leaders and politicians traveled to Abu Dhabi to participate in the pomp of the funeral and convey condolences to Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, stepbrother of the deceased, new emir of Abu Dhabi (a city that controls most of the oil wealth of the country) and new president of the Emirates, a country with 9.8 million inhabitants. What it shows the influence Abu Dhabi holds on major world capitals as the heart of the geopolitics of the Middle East. Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan is already buried in Al Bateen Cemetery in Abu Dhabi.

Among the leaders who traveled quickly to the UAE were, among others, Boris Johnson (Great Britain), Prince William (Duke of Cambridge), Emmanuel Macron (France), King Felipe (Spain), whose father, King Emeritus Juan Carlos lives in Abu Dhabi, Isaac Herzog (Israel), Kamala Harris (Vice US) and Venkaiah Naidu (Vice India).

The first to arrive was French President Emmanuel Macron. He met with Sheikh Mohammed on Sunday to express his condolences. “He is respected for the values ​​he represents such as peace, openness and dialogue,” Macron wrote on Twitter, also expressing his “full support” for his half -brother Sheikh Mohammed after he was unanimously appointed head of the Emirates. the authorities.

The urgency of Saturday’s announcement seemed to show solidarity and reassure the world about the stability in an important country for oil and gas production where western military troops are also located. Today the Emirates has one of the best troops in the region, behind Israel.

Israeli president Isaac Herzog even arrived, establishing formal relations with the Emirates in 2020. Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan was the first Gulf leader to reach an agreement to normalize relations with that country, which broke down the Arab League’s agreement of decades of isolating Israel until it agreed to the creation of a Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, the Vice President of the US kamala harris He arrived on Monday noon on behalf of his country, where the Emirates has had tension in recent years. The president of the United States, Joe Biden, did not travel but sent his condolences, as did other leaders from around the world.

The president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, for his part, expressed himself on his Twitter account: “I want to offer my condolences to the people of the United Arab Emirates for the death of their head of state, the emir of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan .. My embrace is with those who are going through a difficult moment today.

Even the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, congratulated Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan on his election to the post. Return of kindnesses, the new president of the United Arab Emirates immediately announced that Russia is “his second home”.

Who is Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan

Strictly speaking, Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan already holds the position of president, since in 2014 his stepbrother had a stroke that separated him from public life. However, now, it is officially assumed. It was the father of two – Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan – who promoted the union of the seven emirates that made up the UAE in 1971 and led the conversion of a “desert” country into a “rich” country, “oil” and some to the most developed in the area: he led the country’s rapid transformation into a center of business and global political power. His children, each in his own time, continued the legacy of modernization.

A training soldier and football fan, often called “MBZ”, he is the third son of Sheikh Zayed Ben Sultan Al Nahyane, the first president and founding father of the Emirates federation.

Born in the capital on March 11, 1961, Sheikh Mohamed was sent to military school in Britain, graduating from the famous Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst in 1979.

He quickly rose through the ranks to become air force commander, deputy chief of staff, and finally chief of staff in January 1993. A year later he was promoted to the rank of general.

Called the strong man of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed forged ties with the capitals of the world, especially in the West.

Although “MBZ” doesn’t usually speak to the public – he left the inaugural address of the Louvre Abu Dhabi in November 2017 to Dubai leader Mohamed Bin Rashid – his reach cannot be underestimated.

Under his leadership, Abu Dhabi has strengthened commercial and political ties throughout the region – including Shiite Iran – but sided with the United States against Tehran’s nuclear program and Saudi Arabia in its role in the Arab world, mainly Sunni .

Although Sheikh Mohamed led an uncompromising internal security policy, he created for the UAE a reputation for tolerance in contrast to its conservative neighbors.

An avid hunter and lover of poetry, Sheikh Mohamed, 61, was married to fellow royal Sheikha Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan.

The couple has four sons and five daughters.

Before Friday was the only death of a president in the country’s history, which saw Sheikh Khalifa succeed him and Sheikh Mohammed’s father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, after their deaths in 2004. Sheikh Zayed , whose name adorned a major route connecting the Emirates and whose face appears everywhere in the territory, is still widely seen as the founding father of the country.

Sharjah. United Arab Emirates. Special Envoy

Source: Clarín and Agencies