PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has sent condolences to the United Arabs Emirates (UAE) following the demise of their President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Sheikh Khalifa died on Friday at the age of 73, With UAE announcing a 40 days of mourning with flags being flown half-mast.
In her condolences message that was shared on her social media accounts, President Samia said Tanzania has equally received the news of the passing of the UAE leader with great shock.
"It is with deep sadness that we have received the news of the passing of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. Please Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed, the Royal family, and the people of UAE accept our condolences. He was a great leader!" said president Samia on her Instagram account.
President Samia moreover congratulated Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed for being elected the third president of the UAE who is taking over from the late Sheikh Khalifa.
She assured the new leader of Tanzania's continued cooperation to the UAE for the greater interest of the two parties.
"On behalf of the government and the people of Tanzania, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed for being elected as Third President of UAE. Rest assured of our continued cooperation with the UAE," wrote President Samia.
Sheikh Khalifa, who has rarely been seen in official photos or at public events for years, succeeded his father and the UAE's founder Sheikh Zayed in 2004. He suffered a stroke a decade later, keeping him largely out of public sight ever since.
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The world's tallest tower in the UAE's emirate of Dubai is named the BurjKhalifa after the late ruler, whose oil-rich emirate helped bail Dubai out during a financial crisis
Tanzania and the UAE have been enjoying a cordial relationship from the year 1974. The two countries are now maintaining robust, evolving ties.
On 26th February this year, President Samia met with the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The meeting took place during the Expo Dubai 2020, the first World Expo ever hosted in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region.
During their meeting, Sheikh Mohammed highlighted the strong bilateral relations between the two countries and their shared desire to continue enhancing cooperation across various vital fields in the next phase, in light of their common vision on a range of regional and global issues.
For her part, President Hassan expressed Tanzania's keenness to take bilateral relations to greater heights and enhance partnerships in various vital sectors.
President Hassan also met with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. They discussed strengthening ties, particularly in investment and economic and development areas.
