Tall Leader, People’s Person: World Leaders Remember Sushma Swaraj
Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj passed away at the age of 67 after suffering from a cardiac arrest.
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Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj passed away at the age of 67 late on the night of Tuesday, 6 August, after suffering from a cardiac arrest. Leaders from across the globe condoled the demise of the Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart.
Expressing grief over her death, Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, called Swaraj a tall leader, great orator and a people’s person.
“My profound condolences to the people of India and her family and friends,” he said in a tweet.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani also tweeted and condoled Swaraj’s sudden demise.
“My deepest condolences to the people & government of India on the loss of a distinguished public figure who represented her country w/ distinction & determination,” he said in his tweet.
China too, recalled Swaraj's important contribution in the development of bilateral relations.
Hua reportedly said that during her tenure as external affairs minister, "She visited China many times and made important contributions to the development of China-India relations.”
Bangladesh prime minister said her country had lost a "good friend".
"She (Swaraj) was a good friend of Bangladesh. With her death, Bangladesh has lost a good friend. Bangladesh will recall her contributions in taking the relationship between the two countries to a new height," PTI reported, quoting bdnews24.
The UNGA president, on her part, said she was saddened by the news of Swaraj's death and described her as an extraordinary woman and leader who devoted her life to public service.
"I had the honor of meeting her in my visits to India, and will always remember her fondly. My deepest condolences to all of her loved ones," she tweeted.
Israeli Ambassador to India Ron Malka, visited Swaraj's residence and paid his last respects, according to PTI.
Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Maldives called Swaraj the “key architect of renewed Maldives-India friendship”.
He tweeted a 48-second clip of his meeting with Sushma Swaraj and said “Deeply grieved to hear the demise of my good friend Smt #SushmaSawraj; Stateswoman extraordinaire, diplomat par excellence; A warm human being.”
French Ambassador to India, Alexandre Ziegler, in a tweet, called Sushma Swaraj one of India’s most respected leaders who showed remarkable dedication to serving her fellow citizens.
Foreign Minister of Bahrain Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa also tweeted after the news of Swaraj’s demise.
He tweeted, “Indian leader, former External Affairs Minister, who always called me "My Brother", Sushma Swaraj, is not with us anymore. Rest In Peace "my dear sister". India and Bahrain will miss you.”
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also expressed condolences to the people of India.
Swaraj did not contest the 2019 general elections citing health reasons.
Around three hours before her death, she had tweeted congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his government’s recent decisions on Jammu & Kashmir – which abrogated Article 370 and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two UTs.
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