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MUSCAT, Oman – Leaders from around the world have paid tribute to the Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said al Said, who died on Friday.

Qaboos, who was 79, had ruled Oman for almost fifty years, and was the longest serving leader in the Middle East and the Arab world at the time of his death on Friday.

He was the only son of Sultan Said bin Taimur of Muscat and Oman, was educated in England and fought briefly for the British Army. He returned to Muscat and Oman in 1966 at which time his father placed him under house arrest. He overthrew his father in 1970 in a coup, reportedly with the help of the British. He was 30 years old at the time. He shortened the name of the country to Oman, and ruled for fifty years, until Friday.

He has been succeeded by his cousin Haitham bin Tariq Al Said. He was sworn in on Saturday.

Oman under Qaboos was a member of the GCC and Arab League but established a degree of independence in recent years, refusing to join his neighbours in the Saudi-led incursion into Yemen, and refusing to take part in a Gulf blockade of Qatar. Qaboos also remained friendly with Iran (despite the overthrow of the Shah, whom he was close to, in 1979), while other Gulf countries turned against it. He reportedly was instrumental in assisting the West, and the U.S. in particular in negotiating the nuclear deal with Iran, which has since been reneged on by the U.S. under President Donald Trump.

Qaboos also broke with other Arab countries by reaching out publicly to Israel, and in so doing hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife on a historical visit to Oman in October 2018.

Tributes on Saturday flowed in for the fallen leader from around the world.

“Today we mourn a leader of the most prominent and sincere sons of the Arab and Islamic nations who gave a lot to his people and his nation and gave his life in defense of its causes with sincerity, sincerity and impartiality,” Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates said in a statement Saturday.

“As we express our sincere condolences to the royal family and to the people of the Sultanate of Oman in the great late Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed, we affirm our complete confidence in the implementation of the foresight and solidarity and ability of the people of the Sultanate of Oman and its wise leadership as we pledged to complete the victorious march of the deceased’s nation in the service of the issues of his nation and the advancement of the march Joint Arab Action,” he said.

The UAE president said Qaboos had worked tirelessly to strengthen the Arab architecture and enhance its cohesion, saying that the Arab and Islamic nations had “lost a great stature and a historic leadership that did not fail to serve the causes of its nation until the last moment of his life.”

The UAE entered a 3-day mourning period Saturday, during which all flags at the official departments within the country, its embassies and diplomatic missions abroad are being flown at half-mast.

“Saudis share the sorrows of the Sultanate of Oman and its people,” said an official statement from the government of Saudi Arabia.

The Emir of Kuwait Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah sent a message of condolences to Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said, the newly appointed sultan.

Al-Sabah described Sultan Qaboos as “a brother, friend and a leader who dedicated his life to the causes of Arab and Islamic countries.”

Iraqi President Barham Saleh paid tribute to the late sultan’s “moderation and wisdom and the ability to control differences in the interest of the development and progress of our countries and region.”

Lebanon said that with the loss of Qaboos, the Arab world had lost a man of dialogue, wisdom and peace. “He was a brother and a friend to Lebanon and always worked towards Arab unity and the strengthening of Arab solidarity in the face of the challenges that threaten our countries and peoples,” President Michel Aoun posted on Twitter.

“We have lost a wise leader in my brother His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman,”a statement from King Abdullah II of Jordan said. Abdullah paid tribute to the late sultan’s role “defending Arab and Islamic causes.”

Qaboos was “a constant supporter of Arab and Islamic issues in various situations, and the pioneer of Oman’s renaissance,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said.

“Our Arab and Islamic nation lost today, a leader and leader of its finest men,” Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday. Qaboos “devoted his life to serving his country and people and the issues of the Arab and Islamic nations with wisdom and balance,” he said.

Qaboos “was a visionary leader who transformed Oman,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in a statement released on Saturday, said the death of such a leader with insight and wisdom, was a great loss not only to the people of Oman, but also the international community.

He made great contributions to peace and stability in the Middle East, and earned deep respect from other countries, Abe added.

The Japanese leader is set to visit Oman on Tuesday during his five-day Middle East trip from Saturday.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said, Sultan of Oman. He was an exceptionally wise and respected leader who will be missed enormously. He will be remembered for his devotion to the development of Oman into a stable and prosperous nation, and as the father of the nation who sought to improve the lives of the Omani people.”

“I had the pleasure of meeting His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and was struck by his commitment to peace and understanding between nations and between faiths. He leaves a profound legacy, not only in Oman but across the region too,” Johnson said. “The UK is a proud friend and enduring partner of Oman, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Omani people.”

Former U.S. President George W. Bush said Qaboos had been a “stable force in the Middle East.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Israel Katz made reference to Qaboos’s historical invitation for the pair to visit Oman. “I send my condolences to the nation of Oman and share in the great sorrow of the loss of Sultan Qaboos bin Said,” Netanyahu said. “A year ago, he invited my wife and me to an important and exciting visit like no other, in which he offered his help to promote peace and stability in the region.”

Katz, also paid tribute.

“Qaboos’ leadership is an example and a model of someone who acted his whole life for his nation and for peace,” he said. “The Sultan was a courageous leader and a man of peace and reconciliation who did much for his land and his nation and for security and stability in the whole region.”