The emir had been receiving hospital treatment in the United States since July. (File)
Condoling the death of Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, the ruler of Kuwait, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the Arab world has lost a beloved leader, India a close friend, and the world a great statesman.
PM Modi said Sheikh Sabah played a leading role in strengthening the bilateral relations and always took special care of the Indian community in Kuwait.
"My heartfelt condolences on the sad demise of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait. In this moment of grief our thoughts are with the Al-Sabah family and the people of the State of Kuwait," the Prime Minister said.
Sheikh Sabah, who drew on his decades as the oil-rich nation's top diplomat to push for closer ties with Iraq after the 1990 Gulf War and solutions to other regional crises, died Tuesday. He was 91.
In his tweets, PM Modi said, "Today, the State of Kuwait and the Arab world has lost a beloved leader, India a close friend, and the world a great statesman. His Highness played a leading role in strengthening our bilateral relations, and always took special care of the Indian community in Kuwait."
In a Middle East replete with elderly rulers, Sheikh Sabah stood out for his efforts at pushing for diplomacy to resolve a bitter dispute between Qatar and other Arab nations that continues to this day.
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