Sheikh Mohamed holds talks with Haitham Bin Tariq.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, offered his condolences to Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq on the demise of Sultan Qaboos.

Sheikh Mohamed conveyed the condolences of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to Sultan Haitham of Oman, praying to Allah the Almighty that the late Sultan, who was a great leader with a sound vision, rests in peace, and that the people of Oman are granted strength, stability and progress.

Sheikh Mohamed emphasised the camaraderie between the two countries during these moments of sadness and sorrow following the demise of a great Gulf, Arab and international leader, who has left behind a legacy on the history of the region and the world.

Sheikh Mohamed praised the late Sultan Qaboos' role in building the modern Sultanate of Oman, and its development renaissance, as well as the strengthening of UAE-Oman relations. He also praised the late leader's role in supporting joint Arab and Gulf efforts to ensure regional and global peace and security.

"Sultan Qaboos was a symbol of wisdom, a visionary working with the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, for the good of the two countries and their peoples," Sheikh Mohamed said.

His Highness affirmed that the strong relations between the UAE and Oman remain, and will continue as a result of the fraternal ties that Bind the two countries together, and the solid, historic foundations on which these ties are built upon.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed wished Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq success in leading his country towards further development and progress.

Fort his part, the newly appointed Sultan of Oman expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to the genuine sentiments relayed by the UAE leadership and people towards the Sultanate and its people during this time.

Sultan Haitham affirmed the strong historical ties of brotherhood between the two countries, and their leadership's continued drive to further develop such ties. He also wished the UAE more progress and development under the guidance of its leadership.

Photo shows the Culture and Heritage Minister Sayed Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said during an event in Muscat. File photo/AFP

Accompanying His Highness to the condolences ceremony taking place in Muscat was a high ranking delegation that included: Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Ruler’s Representative in Al Ain Region; Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council; Lt. General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Adviser; Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; Sheikh Khalid Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed was also accompanied by Dr. Anwar Bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Bin Ahmed Al Bowardi, Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Staff Major General Abdullah Muhair Al Ketbi, Commander of Support Units of the UAE Armed Forces, Ali Saeed Matar Al Neyadi as Chairman of the Federal Customs Authority, Ali Bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council, Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority, and Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under-Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court.

Sultan Qaboos Bin Said has passed away on Friday. He was 79.

According to the court statement, “With great sorrow and deep sadness... the royal court mourns His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, who passed away on Friday.”

Three days of national mourning have been declared.

Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said took the oath before the Council of Oman this morning as the new Sultan of Oman, according to Oman Network.

Sultan Qaboos was born in 1940 in Salalah.

He has no children and has not made any announcement regarding his successor publicly, however, he disclosed his choice of the next successor and kept it secret in a sealed envelope, which was opened after he passed away.

Qaboos has been travelling abroad several times to get treated for his long-term illness.

After having served the British army in his younger days, Qaboos continued to have a great relationship with the Gulf countries.

Oman’s contribution to the Arab world is unmatched, to say the least.

His successor, Haitham Bin Tariq, has already pledged to maintain the kingdom's non-interference policy that made Oman a vital regional mediator.

Here are some of the main tributes by world leaders.

UAE: President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message to Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said of Oman, expressing his condolences on the death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said.

His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed prayed to Allah the Almighty to rest the soul of the deceased in Paradise.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, also dispatched similar messages to Sultan Haitham.

Lebanon: 'Man of dialogue' - "With loss of Sultan Qaboos, the Arab world loses a man of dialogue, wisdom and peace," Lebanon's President Michel Aoun wrote on Twitter, paying tribute to "a brother and a friend to Lebanon".

Qaboos "always worked towards Arab unity and the strengthening of (Arab) solidarity -- in the face of the challenges that threaten our countries and peoples".

Kuwait: 'A very important figure' - "The Gulf, Arab and Islamic nations lost a very important figure and leader," said Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.

The leaders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar also offered their condolences.

Jordan: 'A wise leader' - "We have lost a wise leader in my brother His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said of Oman," said a statement from King Abdullah II of Jordan on Twitter.

He paid tribute to his role "defending Arab and Islamic causes".

Egypt: 'Pioneer' - Qaboos was "a constant supporter of Arab and Islamic issues in various situations, and the pioneer of Oman's renaissance", wrote Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Palestine: 'Wisdom and balance' - "Our Arab and Islamic nation lost today, a leader and leader of its finest men," said Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

Qaboos "devoted his life to serving his country and people and the issues of the Arab and Islamic nations with wisdom and balance," he added.

Britain: 'Exceptionally wise' - "He was an exceptionally wise and respected leader who will be missed enormously," said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

"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."

United States - "He was a stable force in the Middle East and a strong US ally," said former US president George W. Bush in his tribute to Qaboos.

"His Majesty had a vision for a modern, prosperous, and peaceful Oman, and he willed that vision into reality."