Leaders travel to Qatar after death of former emir Sheikh Hamad
Qatar’s emir received condolences at Lusail Palace from regional and international officials after the death of his father at age 74.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Qatar has received a stream of foreign leaders and senior officials after the death of Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The visits underline Sheikh Hamad’s role in Qatar’s modern political history and the country’s ties across the Gulf, the wider Arab world and beyond.
Sheikh Hamad, who ruled Qatar from 1995 until 2013, died on Thursday at 74, according to Al Jazeera. His son, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has been receiving condolences at Lusail Palace for three days beginning Monday, Qatar’s Amiri Diwan said.
The Amiri Diwan said delegations, ambassadors and mourners have come to the palace outside Doha. The following visits and calls were reported by the Amiri Diwan unless otherwise noted.
Middle East and North Africa
Several Gulf and Arab leaders were among the first to offer condolences to Sheikh Tamim.
- Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa offered condolences on Monday.
- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi paid condolences on Tuesday morning.
- Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah visited on Monday morning.
- Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited Lusail Palace on Monday, and President Joseph Aoun offered condolences there on Tuesday.
- Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa offered condolences on Monday.
- Iraqi President Nizar Amidi visited on Monday night.
- Nechirvan Barzani, listed by the Amiri Diwan as Second President of the Kurdish region of Iraq, offered condolences on Monday evening.
- From the United Arab Emirates, Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Ajman Crown Prince Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi visited on Monday evening. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also called Sheikh Tamim.
- Saudi Arabia’s Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, governor of the Eastern Province, visited on Monday. Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman also called Sheikh Tamim that day.
- Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs Sayyid Shihab bin Tarik Al Said visited on Monday evening.
- Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch and Libya’s Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, head of the interim government, also offered condolences on Monday evening.
- Libya’s Presidential Council chairman, Mohamed Younis al-Menfi, visited with a delegation on Tuesday morning.
- Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi and Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy offered condolences on Tuesday morning.
Europe and international bodies
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered condolences to Sheikh Tamim on Tuesday morning.
- Swiss Vice President Ignazio Cassis visited Lusail Palace on Tuesday morning.
- FIFA President Gianni Infantino offered condolences at the palace on Monday evening.
Africa, South Asia and Asia Pacific
African and Asian leaders also travelled to Doha or sent senior representatives, according to the Amiri Diwan and India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
- Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani visited on Tuesday morning.
- Comoros President Azali Assoumani offered condolences with a delegation on Tuesday morning.
- Rwandan President Paul Kagame visited on Monday morning.
- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed offered condolences on Monday night.
- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Lusail Palace on Monday morning.
- Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu offered condolences on Monday evening.
- Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited on Monday evening.
- India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Kiren Rijiju, minister of parliamentary affairs and minority affairs, was expected to visit Qatar on Tuesday to convey the Indian government’s condolences.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.